Through the Void
by TheAlleyCat18
Summary: Alanis just went to some random magic shop and now she's in FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. She wants nothing more than to save Hughes then watch the promised day pass by in the safety of a homunculous proof panic room. But Truth has other plans for her. What is Truth's true objective and what was the real reason for Alanis's transfer from our world to here? Now accepting OC's!
1. Chapter 1

So I had no idea that going to a store for witch craft would send me to a different dimension. You see, my friends and I went to this witch craft store and we thought 'Oh look a witch store let's go have a field trip!'. What we didn't know was that the old lady who ran the shop was a legit witch and could actually cast magic spells and all that jazz.

We went in and looked around. My two guy friends Munna (not his actual name but a nickname cuz his name is really long and many people can't say his name right) and Teddy went looking at the wands and crystals hoping that the wands would react like the ones in Harry Potter. I on the other hand went to where the Tarot cards were. I already had a deck and knew how to use them and no I am not a witch, I just like magic stuff and I know how to palm read and use Tarot cards; that doesn't automatically make me a witch.

So anyways, we were looking around the store and then the shop owner came around. She was an older lady (go figure) but she didn't look like the stereotypical 'witch' that runs these magic stores. She had a kind face with warm green eyes and long grey hair that must have been black when she was younger. All in all, she looked like a very sweet, grandmother like old lady. When she caught me staring I blushed and gave a sheepish smile while she just chuckled softly and sent a grin my way. I resumed looking at the Tarot cards and I found the most gorgeous deck that I have ever seen! They were a hermetic style cards that were black and silver.

"Those are on sale for ten dollars. Not many people like those style of cards but I myself find them to be exquisite."

I nearly jumped and looked at the store owner who seemed to have popped up from out of nowhere.

"Sorry if I frightened you. I thought I had made myself known but I guess you were really into the cards."

"It's ok. I just guess that it means that I need to be more aware of my surroundings." I said while rubbing the back of my head.

"Well why don't I give you a reading to make up for the scare I gave you." She said

"You don't have to" I replied

"I know but I want to. Now let's go to the table in the back. There I will do the reading and still keep an eye on your friends." she chuckled

I looked over to the boys only to cringe when they were waiving the wands saying 'Avada Kedavra'. Seriously what am I going to do with them.

We walked to a small table in the back. It had some stones and crystals and candles to add to the 'witchy' feel. Though I must admit that I was kind of excited about getting a reading; I have never had a reading and I wanted to know what she would say. Would she say general things that anyone could guess or would she say some creepily accurate stuff? I sat down and she took out some bones and a bowl with some liquid in it and lit the liquid on fire.

"I find using bones to do reading to be more accurate than Tarot cards or palm reading. Is this alright with you?" She asked

"Yeah it's fine. I'm just excited to get a reading." I said with an ear splitting grin.

The old lady just chuckled and held out a bag and said to pick out a bone. I stuck my hand in the bag and felt around for a bone. I pulled out a long bone that had a joint at one end and then broke so that the other end was pointed and sharp. The old lady took the bone from me and put the bone in the fire. I heard the cracks and snaps from the bone. Then the fire died out, leaving what remained of the bone.

"Interesting...very interesting…" she murmured

"Um...what does it say?" I asked tentatively

"Well there are actually a lot of thing written into the bone. Who knew you were such a complex person behind that misleading smile." She stated

I flinched. What did she mean by misleading smile? Sure, I hid things behind a smile but is it really misleading?

"You feign to be happy but your kindness is true. In fact, kindness is your strongest virtue. You have experienced many traumas in your life and make sure to keep it hidden under the smile you wear. You dream of being somewhere else but here; creating worlds within your head and getting lost in them, causing dreams to mesh with reality."

I just stared at the woman with an unreadable expression. How could she know these things? She continued

"You may be kind but you have one major flaw. You keep everyone at arms length, never letting them near your heart which has been closed off since one of the traumas you experienced. I believe it was the death of your father...no it was someone who was like a father. His death closed your heart.

"Since then your life hasn't been any better. Your life ridden with one tragedy after another. In hopes of escaping you created a world in your head. But this imaginary world hasn't helped you in the slightest. You are hollow inside."

I blanched at her words. It took all my power not to start shaking. How could she _know?_ How in the hell could she know all that's happened? How! I haven't told anyone! The only people who know what's happened in my life are my family, so how could she know? How could she know how I feel? How I _am_? How did she know that I was _hollow_?

"You poor soul. You feel as though you have nothing left. That life just takes without giving. That things aren't equivalent. You long to be in a place where the good balance out the bad, where if you suffer pain there will be happiness after. But you know that's not going to happen here, you know it all to well. This world is cruel and takes everything leaving us with nothing. Sure there are material things but that doesn't bring you happiness.

"You just want something in return for the pain that is your life. All you've known is pain with some reprieve. If I were to compare your life to something it would be cancer. You know it's there, you try to treat it and it goes into remission only to come back. You are slowly dying and there is nothing you can do. You just have to push through."

I wanted to run, to leave this place. I looked over to where the boys were and saw that they were still playing with the wands. They hadn't heard. This lady...who was she? How did she know all of those things? There could be no way...it was impossible. She couldn't know. I made sure that no one knew! Calm down Alanis. It's just a reading, it doesn't mean anything. Just take a deep breath.

"What's this?"

The lady picked up a fragment of bone.

"It seems like you might get your wish. This bone fragment it your future. I see equivalence in this piece but also more hardships. It also says you will be you yet not you….strange….very strange…."

"What do you mean strange? How will I get my wish?" I asked

She didn't answer instead she looked as though she was looking for a distraction. Then the boys dropped a book from the shelf. The sudden sound caused me to look towards the boys and I missed the flash that came from the old lady's hand. When I looked back she stared at the split bone fragment and chuckled.

"That is quite a person to fall for."

I looked at her quizzically and asked

"Who do I fall in love with? Will they love me back?"

"Who is still a mystery for you yet you know him. Will he love you back? He will but it will take time and patience. I actually feel sorry for you because he isn't the kindest being but it can't be changed. You two are linked by your souls.

"But I can tell you that when he does realize his love for you, he will do anything for you. It will take time for him to acknowledge his own feelings let alone yours but you will be happy. Your love won't be the fairy tale happy ending but it will be happy nonetheless."

I was confused. I know this person but I don't, we are 'linked by our souls', and he sounds like he will try his hardest to deny his feelings. Why do I get stuck with troublesome people?

"Is that all ma'am?" I asked politely. I really wanted to leave.

"One last thing before you run; tonight, pack a bag with everything that you hold dear to you. When that bag is packed, place this bone inside."

"Why?" I asked

"Please trust me on this. You know I haven't been wrong thus far." she said with a knowing smile and handed me both bone fragments.

I grabbed my friends and I hauled them out.

"Alanis why are you so freaked out?" Munna asked me

"She read my fortune and she told me I was going to fall in love with a mailbox." I lied

"WHAT!" Munna and Teddy yelled

"Yeah she's clearly crazy. So can I go home now?" I asked.

"Sure sure" Teddy replied

When I got home I ran to my room and locked the door. I fell against the side of my door and started shaking. How could that old lady _know_? And what was all that stuff about the guy who I'm supposed to end up with in life? I shook my head and slowly got up. I went into my closet and pulled out the largest messenger bag that I had.

Not wanting to chance anything I did as the woman said and started placing the things I value most into my bag. A long necklace that had a silver and black crescent moon, my Ipod, my stitch plushie, a picture of my family, and an opalite choker. Each one of those held sentimental value and I knew I couldn't go anywhere without them. Noticing that there was still room in the bag, I put in my wallet and a small sketchbook and pencils. Then while I was rummaging in my room I found a note from my mother. She had written it to me when I was at an all time low and I gently tucked the note into the bag.

My bag was basically empty but I didn't really care. Then my cat decided it would be fun to jump inside and sleep. I tried to get him out but he wouldn't move so I just left him alone. I then put the bones in a small pocket on the inside of the bag.

I couldn't stop thinking about what that old woman had said. Everything she had told me was true. I am hollow. Who wouldn't be after all I've been through? But I know that there are people who are worse off than me. That's the only way I cope, knowing that there are people worse off than me.

My mind was reeling. There was so much running through my head that I just layed down on my bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

When I woke up, I was in a void. That was the only way to describe this place; a large white void. I couldn't figure out why but I knew this place. I started to walk aimlessly in hopes of finding another person.

"What's this? A stray human?"

I stopped in my tracks at the sound of the voice/voices. Slowly I turned to face whoever said that. What I saw was the figure of a person but it was all white with a grey almost black outline.

"Ah you're here! Maybe I'll have some fun now."

"Who are you?" I asked shakily but I knew the answer. I just needed to make absolutely sure.

"Who am I? I'm quite sure you know the answer your own question but I will tell you nonetheless. I am what some call the world, others call me the universe or god. I am also what others call the _truth_. I am one and I am all and most importantly I am _you_."

"How can this be?" I muttered

"How can this be you ask? To put it simply, I don't know. There are many reasons for _why_ you are here but I cannot give you a straight answer as to _how_." Truth replied

"You're lying. I know you know." I said firmly

"Heh. You're a cheeky human aren't you? You saw through me. Oh well. You still won't know." Truth said

"Then can you tell me if it had anything to do with that old lady at the store?" I asked

"It does. That's all I will say. Now we must discuss the subject of payment. What will you pay for coming here?" Truth said

I thought for a moment and slowly said

"Why should I have to pay?"

"Why do you have to pay? I know you know of the law of equivalent exchange. You are here so you need to pay." Truth said with slight annoyance

"I know of equivalent exchange and if you take something from me it won't be equivalent." I said

"Is that right? How so?" Truth said mockingly

"I didn't ask to come here. I didn't do human transmutation or any kind of transmutation for that matter. In fact you could have brought me here for yourself and I wouldn't know for sure. So saying that I need to pay for this isn't equivalent." I said in a firm voice

"You're right. It wouldn't be equivalent. But, I can't give you anything either; it's not equivalent." Truth murmured

"Then we're at a standstill, none of us able to move forward." I said

"True. It's been some time since a human was able to make me think like this." Truth said with a wide grin

"What do you mean?" I asked

"You know of me, You know of the future of the world that I guard. Yet because you didn't perform a transmutation, I can take nothing from you. That woman you met is very troublesome. She sent you here without you knowing and I can do nothing about it. So tell me, do you have any ideas?" Truth inquired

I had no clue. I was still trying to get through my head what was happening. I was in a void, standing in front of Truth whom I thought only existed in an anime.

"Ah! I know! I know the price for you to continue!" Truth exclaimed

"I thought we established that you can't take anything because it won't be equal." I said confused

"We did. But this price affects us both, thus creating equivalence." Truth stated

"How does it affect the both of us?" I asked

"Since I am bound to this void and cannot leave, you will become my host. You will be my body outside of this void." Truth said

"But what happens to me? How will being your host affect me?" I asked worriedly

"You won't be affected that much actually. You will still be you but you will hear me in your head and if needed I can take control of your body." Truth explained

"But why would you want a host?" I asked

"That is for me to know. And also know that as long as the….'story' is in play you cannot die. Until 'Father' is back in my grasp, you will not die. You will have some healing abilities but nothing compared to a homunculus. Minor injuries will heal faster than normal but life threatening injuries will take their time to heal. Just know you cannot die until everything is over." Truth explained

"I guess that's good. I can't really complain. But I must ask, what would happen if I tried to change something that happens?" I asked

"I will tell you when the time comes." Truth said with a grin

I just gave him/her/it a glare and then closed my eyes.

"Oh and one more thing! I will be giving you a gift. You know him! He will be your guardian in this world." Truth said happily

I looked at him warily.

"Don't give me that look. He isn't from this story but it's mirror if you will. He doesn't exist in the world you call 'Brotherhood' but he exists in the 'Original'. He has all of his abilities and will make sure that my host is safe at all times." Truth explained

"I don't want to drag someone away from their home just to guard me! I can get along fine as long as I'm careful!" I yelled.

Truth sighed in annoyance and explained

"You will be my host and being my host entails that I feel what you feel, see what you see, and hear what you hear. So that means if you get hurt I will be able to feel that. I don't wish to feel pain so your guardian is there to make sure that you don't get hurt too badly."

"If you don't want to feel pain then why make me a host?" I asked

"Simply put I want to experience the world that I guard. I know everything about everyone and yet I've never felt anything. I am a being of this void so having a host allows me to be almost human." Truth explained

"I get it. Still I don't like the fact that you're pulling someone from the mirror dimension to be my protector." I said

"The mirror world as you called it has ended. That story is over and your guide is actually dead. I'm pulling him from the gate and giving him a chance at life again. Hopefully he doesn't screw this up." Truth said

I went to speak but Truth cut me off

"Enough talk it is time for you to go. Your stuff the old hag asked you to pack will be there when you wake along with your guardian. Now have fun!" Truth exclaimed

Then black hands started to grab me and pull me into the gate. I knew there was no reason to panic but I couldn't help it. I screamed in fear as I was pulled into the darkness. The last thing I saw was Truth's grinning face before the gate closed leaving me with nothing but darkness.

linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

I groaned and tried to move but my body hurt. My head was pounding, my mouth dry, and all my senses felt fuzzy.

'_Wakey wakey little human!_' a voice, or was it voices, said

When I heard the voice(s) I instantly became aware. I sat up and opened my eyes. I looked around and saw I was in an alley way.

'_Good you're up_' Truth said

'_It's really weird to have you in my head._' I thought

'_Hehe it's fun for me little human. Now wake up your guardian._' Truth ordered

I looked around and saw my bag then a body next to it. He or she was somewhat small and had long dark hair. I shifted over to the person and started shaking them gently.

"Hey wake up." I said softly

The body rolled over to reveal Wrath! Izumi's son. My eyes widened but I continued to try and wake him up.

"Wha? Mommy why are you waking me up?"

My eyes softened at this and I felt so bad that I had taken him from his mother.

"I'm sorry but I'm not your mother." I said softly and sadly

At the sound of my voice Wrath sat up and started to glare at me. He was furious and I could do nothing to ease that anger. All I could do was try and explain the situation.

"Who the hell are you?" he said angrily

"My name is Alanis." I said calmly

"Why am I here? Were you the one that took me from mommy?" he yelled

"Please be quiet. I don't really know how to explain the situation because I'm still confused as to what's going on." I tried to explain

"Well explain! And you still haven't told me if you were the one to take me away." he said a bit more quietly

"I didn't actually take you away from your mom but my existence here is part of the reason why you were taken. I somehow ended up in the gate and I met Truth. He sent me here and now I am somehow his host." I explained

"Still doesn't answer as to why I'm here." Wrath mumbled

"Well Truth said that I needed a guardian. My guardian ended up being you." I said

"Why me?" he asked

"I don't know. I didn't even know you were my guardian until I woke up and found you lying there." I said

"You said you were in the gate….how did you end up there?" he asked

"I really don't know….all I know is that I'm here in a different world with a homunculus who is supposed to be dead but now is my guardian here." I said in a small panic

"How did you know what I am?" Wrath growled

My head shot up at his tone of voice and I meekly said

"I know a lot of things….how I knew what you are is just the tip of the iceberg."

Wrath just narrowed his eyes and looked at me in a way that demanded a better explanation. I sighed

"Well for starters I am from beyond The Gate as you call it." I explained

"Beyond The Gate…." he murmured

"Yes but I'm also from a world that mirrors the other side of the Gate. Each world has a mirror you could say….your gate has the world you are from and then the other side. It's like a coin, two different sides. I come from a mirror of the other side of the Gate." I tried to explain

"You keep saying mirror this mirror that but what does it mean?" he asked haughtily

"Its just like I said, a mirror. A mirror reflects the image that's in front of it. So you have the two sides of the Gate and then all of the mirrors of those sides. So for every world there are boundless mirror worlds. I come from one of those mirrors where this world is just a story."

Wrath looked like he was trying to truly understand what I was saying. He took some time before speaking and then said

"So where you're from, my world is a story?" he asked slowly

"Yes. But there are two different versions of the story. Where we are now is the second version which I think is much more dangerous than your version of the story." I said

"How is this place more dangerous." he asked

I sighed and started to really look around. It was still nighttime but I could see the traces of day starting to appear. I didn't want to be found in an alleyway with a kid so I said

"I can't really explain now but I promise I will explain everything to you. For now we need to find a place to stay and get some money and clothes for you. Is that ok with you?"

"Fine but you will explain." Wrath said with a serious face

I nodded and got up. I dusted my pants and went to get my bag. I lifted it and it was heavy. I didn't add many things inside so why was it so heavy? I got my answer when my bag meowed.

"Sirus! What the hell?" I exclaimed

I opened my bag and was met by two golden green eyes and another soft meow. I sighed again and hoisted the bag over my shoulder. My stupid cat stayed in the bag and I began walking with Wrath at my side. One look at the city and I knew I wouldn't last so I asked Wrath

"Do you know where we are? Do you recognize the city?"

He looked around and said

"Were in Central City."

I nodded my head and thought of all of the people that lived here and what would happen here. I also knew I would need a cover story as to why I'm here and traveling with Wrath. And speaking of said little homunculus

"Wrath you need an alias. I can't keep calling you Wrath because it's not an actual name for a person here and if the other homunculi heard me say your name then they would start to question us and come after us. We also need a story to tell people when we meet them." I said

He glared at the floor before saying

"What should my name be? Don't let it be stupid!"

"Let's keep your name with a W so that if I screw up its not that noticeable." I thought out loud

"What do you have in mind?" Wrath asked

"Hmm….what do you think of Wyatt….or how about Warren?" I thought out loud

"Warren would be easier to cover for if you screw up." Wrath said

"So I guess your name for now will be Warren. But I'll only use it for when I know there are people listening, When we're alone I'll call you Wrath. We also need to come up with a believable cover story." I finished

Wrath looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze and said

"We look like we could be siblings so we could do something with that."

I looked at Wrath and noticed he was right, we did look like we could be siblings. We were both pale and we had similar facial features. The only really big difference was our eyes. He had catlike purple eyes while I had dark brown eyes. Our hair also differed slightly; we both had brown hair but mine was a shade or two lighter and mine was slightly wavy.

"I guess if you're fine with it." I said

"I don't mind." he said softly

"Hmm….so now we're siblings….what do you think of this? Our family liked to travel and we never really had a permanent home. Then sometime last year our parents died because of a car accident." I said

"It seems believable but I feel like it's too scripted….what if our parents died shortly after I was born so you had to move from place to place because nowhere would provide for a young girl and her baby brother?" he said

He had a little twinkle in his eyes. He looked like a kid who was in the middle of a game. I chuckled and said

"We could work that angle. We just have to make sure that we both know the whole story so if we are asked about our lives when we're apart then we could give the same answers. We don't want people getting suspicious." I ended

Wrath nodded looking content that his answer won. He was so cute! I know I could pull off the big sister role because I actually was a big sister before I came here. I turned to Wrath and said

"Well little brother, we need to get you some new clothes."

He was wearing the outfit he wore after he remembered he was a homunculus. That would draw major attention that we didn't need. I was lucky that I was wearing a pair of light wash skinny jeans and a long, dark grey, baggy sweater with a hood.

"I could go into the store and quickly get some clothes without anyone noticing." Wrath said

I sighed and said

"I can't believe that I'm condoning this but we need to blend in. Please do it quickly. I'll wait here ok?"

"Kay!"

He quickly left and I started to look around to get familiar with the area. There was a little cafe next to what seems to be a hotel. Then there were some apartments and a little flower shop. It was a cute little neighborhood all in all. I continued to look around while I waited for Wrath.

Then next thing I know Wrath was in front of me waving a hand in front of my face.

I blinked and softly laughed.

"Sorry about that, I guess I was lost in thought. Those clothes look good on you….little brother." I ended in a smile

Wrath blushed and looked away. He was wearing a black t-shirt and cream pants with a pair of black boots.

"Hey….Alanis….how old are you?" Wrath asked

"I'm seventeen. How about you? How old are you?"

"I'm not sure….I remember mommy said something about being ten but then time passed so I'm not really sure anymore. How old do I look?" he asked

I stared at him then said

"You look like you could be almost thirteen. A four year difference."

"That's ok I guess…." Wrath whispered

We lapsed into silence. Day was breaking and people were coming out of their homes and setting up shops and going to work. We walked around and I tried to find a place that might let us eat or stay. I also need to find a way to make some money. Then something shifted in my bag.

Sirus climbed out of my bag and darted around the corner and I chased after him. Sirus is my baby! He may be a cat but he is still my baby. I get anxiety attacks when I don't know where he is and having him run off like that scared the living hell out of me.

"Sirus!" I yelled

I followed him until I noticed he stopped in front of a person who I knew I was going to bump into at the speed I was running. I tried slowing down but to no avail. I crashed into the person and we both fell on the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed

Sirus gave me one of those smug kitty looks and gave a soft meow. I glared at him. That little shit! Why the hell was he so smug?

"It's fine no harm done." said the voice of the person I bumped into.

"I rammed into you. Are you sure you're fine?" I asked again

"As I said no harm done."

I looked up at the man and I had to suppress a gasp. It was Hughes! I ran into Hughes!

"Big sister! Did you catch him?" Wrath yelled as he caught up

"Yeah I did!" I yelled back

"Here let me help you up." Hughes said

He extended his hand to mine and I grabbed it. He pulled me up and Sirus took that moment to jump into my arms.

"Thanks Mr….." I said

"The names Hughes. Maes Hughes. And you are?"

"My name is Alanis Madera and that's my younger brother Warren." I said as I looked over to Wrath.

Wrath had a big goofy smile on his face as he was introduced.

"Well what are two young kids doing out here without parents?" Hughes asked

At the word parents, both Wrath and I looked down and had similar glum expressions. Hughes looked at us and asked

"What's with those looks?"

"We don't have parents." Wrath whispered, voice wavering

"Don't have parents?" Hughes asked. I nodded and said

"They died a while ago. Warren was about four when they died. So it's been us since then."

Hughes looked at us sceptically. I knew kids used the dead parents excuse to try and con people so he was trying to see if we were conning him.

"Well we can't have that! Come with me, I'll take you guys to my place. I know that my wife and daughter would love to have you guys come over." Hughes said

I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Come on now." Hughes urged

Wrath and I followed silently behind Hughes as he led us to his home. He was uncharacteristically quiet and that made me nervous. But I wasn't lying when I said we didn't have parents. We really didn't so I shouldn't feel guilty.

We reached Hughes' home after fifteen minutes of walking. He opened the door and we were met with a yell

"Daddy!"

"Elicia!"

Hughes gave his daughter a hug and she started to squeal. My eyes softened at the sight. It made me remember when my dad did that to me.

"Look Elicia! These two people will be staying with us for a while. What do you think?"

"Yay! I get a big brother and a big sister!"

"Maes is that you?" Gracia asked, walking to the door

"Hi dear! I found these kids on the street. They looked like they didn't have a place to stay so I offered to let them stay here." Hughes said

"What about their-"

"Dear, they don't have parents." Hughes explained

"Oh my! Well you can stay here for as long as you like!" Gracia said happily

"I couldn't impose-" I started to say but Hughes cut me off

"Nonsense! You need a place to stay so I'm offering."

"But-"

"No buts. A thanks is all I need." Hughes finished with a smile

"Thanks." I said with a small smile

"Big sister does this mean we have a real home now?" Wrath asked me

"I guess it does little brother….I guess it does," I replied

Wrath giggled and walked inside. I followed but Hughes placed a hand on my shoulder. He gave me a look that said he wanted an explanation. I followed him into another room. We went into a separate living room and we sat down.

"Now I need you to explain everything." Hughes said in a serious tone

I flinched at his tone and looked down

"To be completely honest, I don't really remember my parents. They were never there and I was left to fend for myself. Then when Warren was born, mom stayed for a while then when Warren wasn't strictly dependent on her, things went back to the way they were.

When they died it didn't really matter, nothing had really changed. Neighbors took us in for a while then when I was old enough, I took Warren and left. We've been traveling ever since."

Hughes gave me a calculating look and sighed

"I don't understand how parents could be like that. I know I wouldn't last a day without seeing Elicia."

"I guess that's how life is….it's just been Warren and I and I feel as though I've been a horrible sister to him. We're always moving, I can never keep a job, and I never seem to have enough money to get us through." I said with tears in my eyes

"You're not a bad sister, just one that's been given a hard break. Warren seems happy enough so I guess that's enough to say you did something right." Hughes said

I gave him a soft smile.

"Now enough serious talk. Let's go see what my darling Elicia is doing!" Hughes squealed

I followed him into the living room to see Elicia trying to brush Wrath's hair. I chuckled at the sight.

"Big brother how come your hair is so long?" Elicia asked

"I like it like this." Wrath said with a smile

"It's pretty!" Elicia squealed

"Hey little lady what's your name?" I asked Elicia

"Hi big sister! My names Elicia! What's yours?"

"My name's Alanis and that's my little brother Warren." I said happily

"Your name is funny!" Elicia laughed

"Elicia that's not nice." Gracia said

I looked at Gracia and said

"Don't worry about it! I know my name isn't the most common one."

I turned to Elicia and asked

"Do you want me to play with your hair?"

Elicia squealed in happiness and ran over to where I was. I sat down on the floor and she sat in front of me. Elicia gave me the brush she had and I pulled off her pig tails. I brushed through her hair for a little then started to braid it.

I made her hair into two french braids that started on both sides of her head then came together in the middle. Her hair wasn't long enough to make a full braid when the two end met so I just made it into a small ponytail.

"Go look and tell me what you think." I said when I was done

She ran off to the bathroom to look. Then I heard Hughes

"Aww! Look at my darling Elicia and her new big sister! I can't wait to show these photos to everyone at work!"

"Wait….Photos!" I yelled

"It was so cute I couldn't _not _take photos!" Hughes squealed

I paled. I hated pictures being taken of me. I'm the person who _takes _pictures, I'm not _in_ them.

"Big sister! Can I play with your hair?" Elicia asked running back into the room.

"Sure. Why not." I said

Elicia giggled and took the brush from my hand and started brushing my hair. For a toddler she wasn't too bad about pulling my hair. In fact, she barely pulled at all save for the few knots caused by my wavy hair.

"Your hair is so pretty and soft…." Elicia said in awe

"Really? I always thought my hair was plain." I said

Elicia shook her head at my response and continued to brush my hair. I have to admit I loved Elicia playing with my hair. Hell I loved it when anyone played with my hair. My head is my weak point and if you started playing with it or combing through it I would melt at the touch. Seriously, if I was a cat I would be purring!

Speaking of cats….Sirus decided to plop down on my lap and demand attention. I petted him absentmindedly while I enjoyed the feeling of the brush running through my hair.

"I can't take it anymore! This is too cute! You haven't even been here an hour and you're already part of the family! My darling little Elicia has a big sister and big brother! That's it! You guys are staying forever!" Hughes squealed and rambled on

I couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. Then I remembered what would happen to him and a frown formed on my face. I quickly hid it and just closed my eyes enjoying the brush going through my hair.

"Warren would you come with me to set up breakfast. It seems as though your sister is busy." Gracia asked with a laugh

Wrath got up from his spot and followed Gracia into the kitchen with a smile on his face. I wonder if he is truly happy or if he's just acting. I guess I'll ask when we're alone. Then Gracia yelled for all of us to go to the kitchen and I frowned not liking that my 'massage' was over.

We all congregated around the table and talked for a bit. Elicia mostly doing the talking and asking random questions like 'what's your favorite color' and all that jazz.

Morning passed quickly. Hughes had to go to work and then at around one Gracia took Elicia out for a walk around town. She asked if we wanted to go but we said no that we wanted to stay here and get some sleep. Gracia left us and then we were alone.

"Now that they're gone can you explain things?" Wrath suddenly asked

"It depends. What do you need explained?" I said

"What is different about this….world compared to the one I'm from?"

I thought for a moment

"Well there are many differences, including things about the homunculi."

"Like what?" He asked in a curious tone

"Well for one, homunculi here are created instead of being born. They are the desires of a man called 'Father' that he ripped from his being, thus creating the homunculi."

"Are the others the same as from where I'm from?" he asked

"Yes and no. Lust, Envy, and Gluttony are the same as you knew. Sloth is now this giant man who is incredibly lazy. Greed is the same for a while then Father kills him then recreates him from a guy named Ling. Then there's Wrath. The Pride from your world is this worlds Wrath and do you remember Selim Bradley?"

"Yeah, he was Pride's adopted son." Wrath confirmed

"Well here, Selim is Pride." I said

"Seriously? What else is different about these homunculi?" Wrath asked

"One major thing is that the homunculi here are much easier to kill."

"Easier to kill? How?" Wrath asked confused

"Don't get me wrong, killing a homunculus is still a pain but it's easier than in your world. In your world you needed the remains of the person the homunculus was supposed to be and then kill them in the fancy transmutation circle. Here you just need to continuously kill them until the stones power is used up." I finished

"Wait what do you mean by that?"

"The core of a homunculus is the Philosophers Stone, and as you know the stone is made from human lives. Each time you kill a homunculus you take one of the lives from the stone, so once the lives run out, the homunculus dies."

"That's really all it takes to kill a homunculus here?"

"Yup. But don't let that fool you; do you know how many lives have gone into each stone? A lot, so killing them will be a pain. But I wonder if this also applies to you now…." I wondered

'_Hey Truth you there_?' I thought in my head

'_Yes little human._' Truth replied

'_Has Wrath become like the homunculi here in this world or is he still the same from his world_?'

'_If you're asking about how to kill him, it's the way you would kill him from the Original version, as you called it._' Truth answered

'_Kay thanks Truth!_'

Truth didn't respond after that. So I looked at Wrath and told him what Truth said

"So basically it would be impossible for me to die." Wrath stated

"It would seem so according to Truth." I said

Wrath was going to say something else but we heard the door start to open.

"Hi guys we're back." Gracia said

"Big brother! Big sister! We're back!" Elicia yelled

Wrath put back on his happy face and ran to the door. I calmly followed and saw that Gracia had some bags so I went to help. I spent the afternoon talking with Gracia and playing with Elicia and Wrath. When Gracia said she was going to start dinner I told her that I would make dinner. She protested greatly saying that I was a guest but I insisted and said that I didn't want to be a freeloader. She resigned and let me cook.

She had a bunch of ingredients and stuff so I ended up making some chicken and pasta with some bread rolls. I also made dessert because I wanted something sweet. I made a batch of caramel salted brownies and by the time Hughes came home I was pulling them out of the oven.

"I'm home!" Hughes announced. I could hear him inhale and say

"What is that wonderful smell? Gracia what did you make for dinner?"

"I didn't cook today Maes. Alanis insisted that she cook so I let her." Gracia said

I called out saying that dinner was ready and everyone went to the table. We all sat together and Hughes talked about work work Elicia talked about her time at the park. When we finished with dinner I brought out dessert.

"You really went all out didn't you?" Hughes said

I run the back of my head and said

"I guess this is my way of saying thank you."

Everyone had a brownie on their plate and dug in. I have to say I had really outdone myself. The brownies were warm and gooey and any chocolate lovers dream. The comments made by the others assured me that my cooking skills weren't rusty.

"Please tell me you have more of these!" Hughes moaned

I laughed and said

"I made a whole tray!"

"I'm going to bring them to work and tease everyone about my new daughters amazing skills! Maybe I could stop by the bakery down the street and see if they have an opening." Hughes said delightedly

"Really!" I exclaimed

"Yup! And I'm going to tease Roy with these too!"

That's when Elicia chimed in and said

"Can big sister cook everyday?"

"We'll see." Gracia said

We finished eating and got ready for bed. Hughes had set up the spare bedroom and Gracia gave Wrath and I some pajamas. They tucked in Elicia and bid us good night.

There was only one bed so I looked at Wrath with a questioning gaze.

"You can have the bed. I don't sleep." Wrath said

"Really?" I asked

He nodded then began to sit on the floor

"You don't have to stay on the floor. I don't mind sharing the bed." I said

He looked at me with an expression I didn't recognize and walked over to the bed, getting under the covers with me.

"Hey Wrath"

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy? I mean you were smiling and laughing but was it real?" I asked timidly

He was silent for a moment then said

"Some of it was an act but some of it wasn't."

"What wasn't?" I asked

"Being here, being happy that we're siblings, having a home." He responded

I squealed and hugged him tightly and said

"I'm happy we're siblings too! And now that I know you like being my brother I'll try and be the best big sister!"

"But I'm also supposed to be your guardian."

"That's fine but I don't plan to get into trouble, especially with the other homunculi. "

Wrath giggled and snuggled closer to me. I hugged him tighter to me and fell asleep. What I didn't know was that I jinxed myself about getting into trouble.

linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

**So yeah...the plot bunnies attacked me and this is what I came up with...what do you think? **

**Please leave a comment as to what you think of this story and what you might want to see later on. **

**Thanks a bunch!**

**-TheAlleyCat**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own FMA or FMA Brotherhood, just my OC_

It had been around a month since Wrath and I had been sent to the world of Brotherhood and have been living with the Hughes family. Maes Hughes, who insists that I start calling him dad, found me a job at a local bakery. I liked the job well enough and I'm glad that I'm not freeloading off of them. I still have no idea where in the Brotherhood timeline I'm in but I didn't really care; I didn't want to get into trouble with the homunculi or father. I'm just gonna wait and make sure Hughes didn't die.

I woke up earlier than I normally did. I had a day off from work today since the bakery was closed so I had no idea as to why I was being woken up. I looked around my room and noticed Wrath wasn't there but Sirus was. My cat was just snoozing on my pillow. I got out of bed and headed for the living room. I didn't see anyone there and started to look around the house.

"Hey is anyone home?" I called out

I was met with silence and I started to panic. I started looking around to see if they left a note to tell me what was going on. I found one on the fridge from Gracia.

'Alanis,

Warren, Elicia, and I are heading out early. I'm taking them to the park and getting Warren some new clothes. I know you had the day off so I'm letting you sleep in. There is breakfast in the fridge.

-Love Gracia'

I sighed and pulled out my breakfast. It was a mix of fruits that Gracia called a fruit salad. There were apple, grape, pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon pieces in it. I ate everything but the cantaloupes.

I then used the bathroom and did my morning routine and got dressed. I put on a white tank top with a red hooded jacket that I left opened and some skinny jeans. I put on my opalite choker that I brought with me along with my moon necklace. I finished my outfit with a pair of light tan boots that reached mid calf.

I wrote a note to Gracia saying I headed out just in case she came home and I wasn't there. I walked along the road and headed to Hughes' office to say hello. Everyone knew me now because Hughes loved talking about Elicia and her new siblings.

So I walked into the military office and asked the lady at the front if Hughes was in his office.

"I'm sorry you just missed him. He was headed to the 1st Branch Library that had just been burned down."

My eyes widened at this news. This meant that the 5th laboratory episode was going to begin. I thanked the lady and headed towards the now burned library. I tried to make my pace slow and even and not rush to the scene. My mind was reeling at the new information. This means that Lust, Gluttony, and Envy were somewhere here and I wanted nothing to do with them. I didn't know who I was more afraid of; Lust who would probably spear me to death, Gluttony who would eat me, or Envy who would kill me in any way he could wearing the face of someone I loved.

I shook my head at the thoughts and continued to the burned library. I made it there in about fifteen minutes and I saw Hughes there along with some other people. I ran over to them and yelled out

"Hughes!"

He turned to me and started gushing. I swear this man is the best and I would do everything in my power to save him. I also noticed he had others with him. I finally reached Hughes he immediately began to ask me questions and make sure everything was fine.

"Don't worry Hughes everything's fine. I just woke up early. I also had the day off so that's a plus!" I said with a grin

Then someone spoke up

"Uh….Hughes I don't mean to be rude but who is this girl?"

I turned to see who spoke. He had blonde hair and gold eyes and was kind of short, not that I'm much taller I'm only five foot five. He was wearing a red coat and….wait….red coat…..gold hair and eyes….it's Ed!

Hughes took that moment to answer Ed's question.

"Ed this is my daughter Alanis. Alanis this is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"This is your daughter! I thought she was like four last time I was here!" Ed yelled

"He calls me his daughter but he actually took me and my younger brother Warren in about a month ago. We didn't have anywhere else to go so now we live with him." I responded

Ed nodded his head and said

"Well as Hughes pointed out I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. This here is my younger brother Alphonse." Ed said nodding his head in Al's direction

"Pleasure to meet you." I said with a smile

"So….what brings you here?" I asked after a few moments of silence

"We were looking for a book here in the library but as you can see, it's gone." Al said

I nodded at his response and looked at the ashes of the library. I knew what would be happening within the next few days or so and I didn't want to be caught in the middle. My mind was thinking of all the possible scenarios but I was called out of my thoughts when Hughes coughed to gain my attention

"So Alanis where is Gracia and the gang?"

"Gracia took Elicia to the park and said she needed to get Warren some clothes as well. I left a note for her just in case she came home before me." I responded

Hughes nodded and turned to the Elric's

"Why don't you come over to my place for dinner, Elicia would love to see you boys again."

"We couldn't impose-" Ed began but was cut off by Hughes

"It's not imposing if I'm asking"

Ed sighed and said

"Sure why not? I could always go for some more of Gracia's cooking."

"Well Gracia won't be cooking. Alanis took over that responsibility." Hughes said with a chuckle

"Well I hope you're as good as Gracia!" Ed said to me with a grin

"My cooking skills are amazing!" I said with fake haughtiness

We all laughed and I turned to Hughes and said

"If I'm going to cook for more people then I need to get some more stuff."

Hughes handed me some money and said

"This should cover the groceries."

I nodded my thanks and headed to the store.

The walk wasn't long. I made it to the store in about five minutes and went to look for the ingredients. I had enough stuff at home to make dessert but I needed to get some stuff to make Hawaiian chicken. Though it wouldn't be called Hawaiian here….more like pineapple chicken….Anyways I got what I needed, payed and went back to the apartment.

As I was walking back I accidentally bumped into someone. I didn't hit them very hard but it was hard enough to cause us both to stagger back a step.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed

"Don't worry about it." The guy said in a hurry

I looked at him. He was average height, blonde hair and violet eyes that kinda looked like Wrath's….wait….violet eyes….shit! This was probably Envy! No human has violet catlike eyes! Hold the phone!

Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions….Yeah that's it! I'm just worried about Lab Five so I'm seeing things! Seriously why would I bump into _Envy_ of all people just after learning my place in time. I'm just gonna go with the thought that this world is weird and that people have crazy eyes. I mean come on, Ed had _gold_ eyes; purple shouldn't be _that _crazy.

Either way, I kept my cool and made sure he didn't see my reaction to his maybe discovery. I just kinda shook it off.

"Again sorry about bumping into you. I should have been looking where I was going." I said with a small smile.

As Skipper once said the best way to get out of a tough situation was to smile and wave. Just smile and wave.

The guy who was maybe Envy, I still wasn't one hundred percent sure, just said

"Again don't worry about it." and rushed off to who knows where.

I continued on my way home and tried to forget what happened. I was probably being paranoid since I now know where in the timeline I was.

I walked into the apartment and went to the kitchen. Gracia was back home and Elicia and Wrath ran to greet me. Elicia told me about her adventures in the park and the shopping trip with Wrath. I smiled and laughed at her explanations while I prepared dinner.

I made the pineapple sauce and finished frying the chicken before it went into the oven. When the chicken was squared away and placed in the oven, I started on dessert. I was making brownies again because they had become a Hughes family favorite and I enjoyed making the treat.

Dinner took longer than I expected to and by the time everything was done it was around seven at night and Ed was getting restless.

"Alanis! Is the food done yet? You're torturing me with the smell!" Ed yelled

I laughed at him and said

"It's done so you can quit whining!"

There were squeals from everyone under the age of sixteen. Wrath helped me set the food on the table and Ed looked like he was about to murder the poor chicken.

"Man this looks and smells amazing!" Ed said

"Well thank you! But the real test is taste." I said

Gracia said a simple "Dig in" and that's all it took for Ed to fill his plate. After one bite Ed was moaning.

"God Alanis this is amazing!" Ed moaned out.

I blushed at the compliment and just ate my meal. But Hughes had to go and embarrass me more by saying

"Isn't my precious daughter the best! I tell Roy all about her but he doesn't believe me! Alanis is the best cook right after my darling Gracia!"

"Hughes I'm not _that _good at cooking. I'm mediocre at best." I mumbled

"Well if this is mediocre then I would love to taste your food when you become a master!" Ed said happily

I blushed and looked down

"Aww look at my precious girl being all bashful!" Hughes cooed

The rest of the dinner continued in this manner until everyone was done and all that was left were the dishes. Gracia said she would do them since I made dinner. I nodded and went into the living room.

"Big sister, will you tell me a story?" Elicia asked

On the second night of my stay at the Hughes' she asked me if I would tell her a story. I had no clue what to tell her so I ended up telling her about sleeping beauty. Surprisingly, this world didn't know of the Disney tales or most fairy tales and Elicia loved hearing them. So now every night after dinner she asks me to tell her a story. She usually liked me telling Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.

"Which one do you want to hear Elicia?" I asked

"A new story!" she said excitedly

I thought for a moment before picking a story

"How about the tale of Atlantis: the Lost Empire?" I asked

"Atlantis? It sounds like your name!" Elicia said

"It does doesn't it? But this place was not named after me. It was an ancient empire lost to the sea."

"Tell me the story!" Elicia squealed

I laughed at her antics and began the story. I also noted that Wrath, Ed, and Al come in and sat down listening to my tale.

"Long ago, far off of any coast in the world, was the empire of Atlantis. It was said that Atlantis was an empire more advanced than any other place on the continent. The knowledge of the people surpassed any normal human and it had been said that Atlanteans knew the secret to longevity and had a great power source that protected Atlantis and her people.

But as all great empires rise, they must also fall. It was said that Atlantis became too powerful and the gods became jealous. In their jealousy, the gods sent a mighty wave to destroy Atlantis. The Atlanteans fled to the inner city where the royal family resided to take refuge from the wave.

But not many were able to make it. A great shied had been created to save the inner city from the wave and what remained of Atlantis was forever lost to the sea…."

I told the story of Atlantis. I told of the Tales of Milo and his friends. I also talked about Kida and the crystal. I tried to go into as much detail as I could remember. This was my favorite Disney movie for very obvious reasons.

I wove my words, enchanting all who listened. I made sure to make it sound as awesome as I remember seeing it. I wanted Elicia and Wrath to imagine in their heads what I saw on the big screen.

When I ended the story Elicia looked entranced and the Elric's were deep in thought. Then Ed spoke

"That's quite a story. Do you think you could tell me more about the….crystal?"

"Well it was said that the crystal was alive, that it was the heart of Atlantis. It was said to be blue but turned red when there was danger to it or Atlantis." I said slowly

I knew Ed was only interested because it sounded like a Philosopher's Stone but I indulged him anyways.

"Can you tell me anything else about it? Like how it was made ?" Ed asked more excitedly

I frowned and said

"I'm not sure how the crystal was made but all I know for sure was that the Atlanteans depended on it; it was their life force. When the crystal was in danger or the city was in danger, the crystal took on a host. In most cases the host was forever lost in the crystal. But that's about all I know. Sorry."

Ed frowned this time and looked over to Al. He then stood up and said

"Thanks for the dinner and the story Alanis. Come on Al we need to get going. Sheska probably has the book ready for us now. We need to get cracking as soon as possible."

"Right brother." Al said with a nod

Ed and Al left and the Hughes' put Elicia to bed and went to bed themselves. I got into my pajamas and went to my room where Wrath was waiting.

"You looked a little off today, is there anything wrong big sister?" Wrath asked

Wrath had taken to calling me big sister all the time. It made me question if this was the real Wrath or not because he wasn't really….Wrathful.

"It's nothing really." I tried to sound nonchalant

Wrath gave me a look that said 'you aren't fooling me' and I sighed

"I just figured out where in the story we're in."

Wrath nodded and asked

"Are any of the homunculi involved?"

"I know for sure Lust and Envy were involved but I'm not sure about Gluttony. He might be since he's like Lust's pet."

"Well that means I have to stay by your side until the danger passes." Wrath said sternly

"I don't plan on getting involved so you don't need to stick to me like glue."

Wrath just glared at me trying to say that he wasn't leaving me alone when the homunculi were on the prowl. I sighed and went to bed.

It was about three days later when Ed and Al discovered that the Stone was made with human lives. Wrath and I had gone with Hughes upon his request to see the boys. They looked as though they wished they never looked for the stone.

Hughes tried to console the boys in a weird indirect way. But he left them with Maria Ross and Denny Brosh when his efforts proved futile. I saw the map the boys tried to hide and I knew this was the night where the Elric's went to Lab Five. I wanted to be safe in bed away from the trouble so I was hoping to retire early.

As night fell, I read a book in the living room with Wrath lying on my lap 'sleeping' when Gracia came in.

"Alanis I know it's late but I need you to go out and get something for me if you don't mind."

I put down my book and looked over at Gracia asking

"What do you need me to get?"

"I ran out of medicine for my headaches. I'm starting to get one and I wanted to know if you didn't mind getting it for me."

I sighed and said

"I don't mind. Where is the pharmacy?"

Gracia pulled out a map since I still wasn't completely familiar with Central. She pointed to a little store that was located three streets from….Lab….Five….

'_Truth you did this on purpose didn't you!_' I yelled in my head

I could feel that little bugger grinning in my head when he responded

'_I needed things to move along. You need to be a part of the action and you can't do that from the living room._'

I tried to keep my face from frowning in front of Gracia and grabbed my jacket and wallet. Wrath suddenly 'woke up' and demanded to come with me. I didn't mind that he came with me since I knew danger was on the streets.

I walked a steady pace but I knew I probably looked tense.

"Big sister what's wrong?" Wrath asked

"A storms brewing." I responded

"You don't mean…."

I nodded and he looked serious. We both kept our eyes peeled as we walked to the store. When we made it we had passed Lab Five and it was still standing. I went in and went to the back to find Gracia's medicine.

It actually took some time since I had to ask someone to find it. It took about fifteen minutes before I was able to pay for it. After I paid, Wrath and I walked out the door and we heard a huge 'BOOM'. Lab Five had blown up.

I grabbed Wrath's hand and we headed home using a route that led us away from the front of Lab Five. Granted it led to an alley which had a door that led to Lab Five which I didn't know about at the time. The only clue that something was about to happen was Truth's laugh in my head.

We walked in silence until I heard someone say

"Lust look! A girl and a boy! Can I eat them?"

Wrath and I froze. That voice….it was Gluttony.

"Just make sure you don't let anyone see." A voice that sounded like Lust said

Wrath and I turned around to be met with the beady eyes of Gluttony. I took a step back and Wrath went in front of me in a protective manner. Then I heard a chuckle from the other side

"What's this? A couple of stray humans?"

My head whipped around to see Envy.

"Lust said I could eat them!" Gluttony said with excitement

"Like hell you're gonna eat me and big sister!" Wrath yelled

Envy just laughed as Gluttony began to stalk towards us. I pulled Wrath closer to me and whispered in his ear

"Don't use your alchemy. They will get suspicious. Our best bet is to run and make noise. I also have the gun and pepper spray Hughes gave to me to try and stop them in my purse."

The main point for me saying this was to distract the other homunculi.

Wrath's eyes narrowed and Envy spoke again

"Pathetic! Trying to console your brother when you're about to die. Gluttony just eat them already!"

Gluttony began his charge and I was about to run when Truth said

'_Don't move little human. I'll handle this._'

'_How? There is a man eating homunculus charging towards me!_' I yelled in my head

'_Just watch and keep calm_'

I gripped Wrath tightly and did as Truth asked. Wrath was looking at me incredulously but I held my ground.

Then when Gluttony was right in front of us he froze; his mouth wide open ready to eat us. He looked at Wrath then at me. When our eyes met he shrunk back in fear. Gluttony started acting like a frightened child and began mumbling incoherently. I shuffled a little and he yelped and said

"Please no….stay away….stay away….stay away! Lust make her stay away! She's bad! I can't eat her! She's bad!"

I looked to Envy and Lust and they had confused looks in their eyes. I'm guessing that Wrath and I had matching looks because Envy said something along the lines of 'what the hell'. I took that chance to grab Wrath's hand and run.

We ran about fifteen feet before Envy jumped in front of us and said

"Where do you think you're going?"

At the same moment Lust's nail stabbed me in my right shoulder. I screamed out in pain and I could hear Truth in my mind yell out too. This was probably the first time he's experienced pain. I fell to my knees and Wrath looked back at me and saw Lust's nail in my shoulder. Lust retracted her nail but Wrath grabbed it and broke it.

Lust glared at Wrath and said

"That hurt. Didn't your sister ever teach you not to hurt a lady."

"You hurt big sister! You'll pay for that!" Wrath yelled

"Warren remember what I said." I said through clenched teeth

"But big sister-"

"Enough! Gluttony just eat them!" Envy yelled

Gluttony whimpered and Envy looked pissed. Wrath was curled around me glaring at Lust and Envy. I clutched onto my shoulder and tried to make sense of what was happening. My head was swimming and everything was becoming fuzzy because of the blood loss. I guess now would be a bad time to say that I'm anemic….teehee?

In my fuzzy mind I noticed Envy begin to charge at us. Wrath took a defensive position and tried to stop Envy's attack. Lust also started using her nails to attack Wrath. I felt sorry for the boy because he has to hide the fact he's a homunculus and his alchemy while protecting me. I was completely useless.

Wrath was thrown into the wall by Envy and thinking that Wrath wouldn't get back up, went towards me. Envy picked me up by the neck and made his other arm change into a blade. When he looked at my face he said

"Well well well, you're the girl who ran into me. Never thought I'd see you again."

My eyes widened. I knew that guy was Envy! But why would he remember me? It doesn't matter, all I know is that I'm about to black out from the loss of air and blood.

'_Enough of this! Little human, I'll take over from here._' Truth growled out

'_Go right ahead. I don't think I can last much longer._'

After that thought, my world darkened as I slipped into unconsciousness.

*Envy POV*

The pathetic human passed out. Her throat was still in my grip and I felt her breathing become shallower. Heh! Humans are so weak! She lost some blood and now she's as good as dead. Then her little brother started screaming at me

"I'm going to kill you for hurting big sister!"

Tch, pathetic worm. Like he can do anything to me; I'm a homunculus. Then all of a sudden sparks flashed and my grip on the girl was released. She collapsed on the floor and her brother came running to her.

So he could use alchemy without a transmutation circle….he could be useful to Father as a candidate for sacrifice. And the girl….Gluttony wouldn't go near her, he _feared_ her. This could prove to be interesting. I smirked and began to make my way back to the girl until a spike rose in front of me almost spearing me. I saw it was the kid and I growled. He was seriously starting to piss me off!

"I suggest if you want to live for another five minutes you don't use alchemy got it?" I bit out

The kid just glared at me and clutched onto his sister. This was so pathetic; I really don't understand humans.

Then the girls eyes shot open. Something felt….wrong….about her. She sat up and stared at me. Her eyes were strange, they were still a dark brown but they looked empty and they had rings in them now. Just what the hell is this girl?

She then clapped her hands and alchemic sparks shot out. A blast was made and I had to jump back. When everything settled the girl and her brother were gone.

"Gluttony can you smell them?" I yelled at the fat fool

He just whimpered like a scared child and didn't respond. I growled and punched the wall. They got away! But how? And who the hell was that girl?

*Wrath POV*

Alanis had just clapped her hands and made an explosion to escape Envy and the others. She was knocked out and I know Alanis doesn't know alchemy so what just happened? I turned to her to ask but the words died in my throat.

This wasn't Alanis, this wasn't my big sister. Her eyes were hollow and they were ringed. I glared at her and asked

"Who are you?"

She smiled creepily and said

"Why hello little homunculus! How do you like your new life?"

I glared and asked again

"Who. Are. You?"

She sighed and said

"Who am I? One name you might have for me is the world or you might call me the universe. Or perhaps the _Truth._ I am one and I am all."

My eyes widened  
"You….you're the one in the gate…."

"Yes I am. You remember how Alanis explained to you about being my host?"

I nodded and said

"Yeah….she talked about it briefly."

"Well she was in pain and in trouble. Since she is my host I can feel everything she does and I don't particularly like pain. I'm slowly healing her wound but she will need a doctor….urgently." her face contorted into a grimace

"Why did you let this happen to her?" I growled out

"She needed to become part of this world. She feared interfering so I took it into my own hands. Though I don't like the pain, it was necessary in order for my plan to come into action."

"Why are you doing this?"

"It is none of your concern. Now I will help you get her to a hospital but after that I'm going back to the void for a bit. I forgot how overwhelming and troublesome human emotions could be."

From then on we walked to the hospital and when we got to the entrance Alanis collapsed. She was so pale! Even more so than usual!. I picked her up and ran in.

"Please help! My sister has been hurt!" I yelled at the lady at the desk.

She took one look and got some nurses to take Alanis. She told me to wait in the waiting room and asked if we had any parents or relatives they could call. I gave them the Hughes' number in hopes that they would come quickly.

She was the only thing I had here. Sure everything seemed familiar but nothing was the same. I hated Alanis at first but I realized she was just as alone as I was. So I clung to her. She knew the real me and she knew this world as well as my own. She had explained almost everything to me during our stay with the Hughes' and I felt sorry for her. She knew everything but she didn't want to do anything to change what was set in stone in fear of backlash. But why would Truth want her to be part of the action?

My thoughts were stopped at the sound of Hughes's voice in the hallway.

"Where is she! Alanis! Does anyone know where she is?"

I ran into the hallway with newly formed tears in my eyes.

"She was hurt! Bad people came and hurt big sister for no reason!" I cried out

Hughes turned to look at me. He looked somewhat relieved I was ok but he was still worried about big sister. A nurse took us to her room and I wanted to hit myself. She was so pale and I could see the IV drip for the blood transfusion. I was supposed to protect her and I failed. I failed again….

Hughes then put a hand on my shoulder and said

"No matter what you're thinking now it isn't your fault. She is your sister and like all older siblings, they will suffer through anything before their younger siblings get hurt. She wouldn't want you to be hard on yourself."

If only he knew! I could take any damage and be absolutely fine! So why? Why was it her that got hurt? I just needed to make sure she never got hurt again.

I stayed with her the whole night. The nurses and doctors tried to make me leave with Hughes but I stayed. Hughes was nice enough to use his military rank to let me stay. I guess he knew that I would be restless at home. I hoped she would wake up soon, I don't think I could handle being investigated by the military about what happened. Especially since the other homunculi were involved.

*Alanis POV*

My first sensation was pain. Everything hurt. I tried to find the pain center and I realized it was my shoulder. Then I tried to wake up. Most people would be like 'my eyes just popped open….like daisies!' but that's a lie! You're too tired to move and all you want to do is go back into the sweet black oblivion.

But I tried. I tried to open my eyes or move something and I was slightly successful. I managed to twitch my finger. The effort to do even just that was huge. So I took what I believed to be a deep breath and used all my energy to open my eyes.

They cracked open a tiny bit and I shut them immediately after. The light hurt! No wonder they say don't go into the light, it hurts! Then I felt something shuffle off to the side and my body went into high alert.

My once lethargic body was now in attention and my eyes opened wide. I looked around, disoriented and scared. When I turned my head I was met by Wrath's purple eyes. My eyes narrowed. This could be Envy….

"Who are you?" I asked

"It's me big sister….Wrath" he whispered

I sighed a breath of relief and I calmed down.

"Sorry about that, I was just worried that you might have been that damned palm tree." I said with a slight chuckle

"No worries! I would have done the same thing. So….are you in a lot of pain?" Wrath asked hesitantly

I sat quietly for a minute to see how my body was. My shoulder hurt like a bitch and I was dizzy as hell but other than that I was fine.

"My should really hurts and I'm dizzy but that's about it. Thanks for asking." I told Wrath

"You lost a lot of blood and you needed stitches. You're still being transfused." Wrath told me

I looked at my arms and I noticed the needle in my left arm. My eyes widened and my breath hitched. My breathing became panicked and I tried to calm myself down but to no avail.

"Big sister what's wrong?" Wrath cried out

I whimpered while still looking at the needle. Wrath just looked at me then at my arm.

"You….you're afraid of needles?"

Wrath started to laugh. It started with suppressed giggles but then it grew to full out cackling. How was this funny? There is a needle in my arm!

"You faced Gluttony and didn't flinch but now that you have a needle in your arm you're whimpering like a baby! This is too funny!" Wrath said through his cackling

"It's not funny! I _hate_ needles!" I yelled back

He just continued laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. I had a pout on my face and my eyes were still trained on the damned needle. The thing needs to burn in the firey pits of hell from whence it came!

'_Well now little human what a rude thing to say to the object that helped save your life._'

'_Damn it Truth! Can't you see that I'm in trouble! There is a needle in my arm! Plus the only reason why I'm hurt is because of YOU!_'

"Big sister what's wrong?" Wrath asked

"Truth is being a meanie!" I pouted

'_No need to be so dramatic._' Truth said

"Big sister, do you know what happened after you blacked out?" Wrath suddenly asked

"No I-"

Then images flooded into my head via Truth.

"Never mind, Truth just flooded my head with memories."

"So you know-"

"It doesn't matter at the moment little brother. The bigger problem is this damned needle!"

I switched the topic because I didn't want to remember last night. I kind of wished it hadn't happened because now the homunculi and most likely Father knew of my existence. I didn't want to get involved! But _nooo,_ pikachu knows everything!(1)

'_I need you to be involved little human._'

I mentally glared at Truth.

'_I have my reasons for why I did what I did._'

'_Care to explain those reasons?_' I asked

'_In due time but not now. Now you need to heal. I don't like pain._'

'_Equivalent exchange Truth, equivalent exchange._'

Truth was silent after that. That damned bastard was the reason for the pain and needle! And the attack from the palm tree! Seriously! Why me? He could have picked any other human but he just had to go and chose me! I know I didn't have much of a choice in coming here because of the witch but Truth could have sent me back! I wouldn't have to deal with all this craziness and supernatural crap. Seriously, some other fan could have wandered into the Void of Truth that was not _me_.

I was mentally ranting for who knows how long until I noticed Wrath giggling again.

"What?" I asked a bit irritated

"You're pouty face is funny and cute. It makes it seem like I'm the older one." he chuckled

I just pouted and glared at the IV in my arm

"Make them take it out!" I demanded

Wrath was about to say something but then the door opened.

"Alanis! You're awake!"

Hughes burst through the door with tears in his eyes. I knew right then and there that it wasn't Envy. Envy wouldn't stoop as low as to cry for a humans well being. Plus it's kind of hard to imitate Hughes….

I looked at Hughes with big puppy dog eyes and said

"Can you make them take this needle out of me?"

"You need to keep the needle in until the transfusion is done. You almost died of blood loss. Did you even know you were anemic?" Hughes asked seriously

"Yeah but it wasn't really a problem for me….but how much longer?" I pleaded

That's when a nurse conveniently appeared in the room. She took my charts and did a little mini check up on me for like twenty seconds before checking the transfusion bag.

"How much longer is this going to take?" I asked

"Another four hours or so. Usually it would be faster but we didn't know your blood type and you lost more blood than we originally thought so we needed to keep transfusing but we couldn't transfuse too quickly because your body needs to get accustomed to the increasing amounts of blood. So I should come by four hours from now unless you have any problems." she said as if she was simply saying the weather forecast.

I pouted some more and then nurse took her leave. Then Hughes coughed

"Alanis, I'm going to need you to tell me what happened. All Warren said was that you were attacked, but I need to know who did it."

He looked completely serious and it scared me a bit seeing him this way. I bit my lip and thought about what I should do. Hughes _can't_ be involved with the homunculi and he didn't need any more incentive to start looking for answers that would ultimately lead to his demise. I thought of all the possible things I could say to make this seem like any other mugging case. Then an idea hit me.

"I'm not entirely sure who attacked me. They acted like cliche muggers who go after innocent people in a dark alley."

Hughes gave me a look and I continued my story

"Seriously, they went through the whole shebang of the 'give me your money or your brother gets hurt' routine. I went to get the pepper spray that was in my bag but then the muggers friend went all 'I can't take this anymore!' and then stabbed me in the shoulder. I think he was mentally ill."

"Then what happened?" Hughes asked with narrowed eyes

"It was so weird Hughes! After the guy stabbed me he took off and ran. Then the first mugger just said 'screw the money I can't get caught for assault' and then ran after his friend. So I'm guessing that the mugger has a position where he could get caught easily." I finished

Hughes looked like he didn't want to believe me but resigned himself because he knew that I would stick with the story. Then I thought about the homunculi and tried to be slick and ask about Ed and Al without sounding like I knew what was happening. I wanted to sound truly curious but not stalkerish.

"The Elric brothers….where are they?" I asked

"The Elric's? Why would you need to know where they are?" Hughes asked confused

"Just curious I guess…"

"Oh really?" Hughes asked with a glint in his eyes.

What could he be thinking?

"I'll go get them. They're actually here in the hospital….I'll be right back"

Hughes left and I waited for his return.

Hughes only took about two minutes before he and Ed came into the room. Hughes had a cheshire grin and Ed looked really banged up.

"I'll leave you guys to talk while I go file the report of your attack. Warren you come along as well." Hughes said and left the room like it was on fire with Wrath protesting about leaving me.

Ed just stood there awkwardly until I spoke in a serious tone

"What happened at Laboratory Five? I lied to Hughes about the nature of my attack because the people who attacked me were _not_ normal and they mentioned _you_."

I lied about the homunculi talking about Ed but he didn't know that. Even so, Ed looked shocked at what I told him and slowly asked

"You said the people who did this to you mentioned my name….can you describe them?"

"One was a woman. She was tall with long wavy hair and a long black dress. Then there was a short, fat man who was bald. Then the third was really weird. I couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl. He/she was wearing a black crop top with a skort and their hair looked like a palm tree. One thing I noticed was all three of them had this red tattoo on them…." I said describing Envy, Lust and Gluttony

"Two of the three you mentioned were there at Lab Five….Tell me, the tattoos, did they look like a dragon-"

"Curled around and eating its tail with this weird triangle inside?" I finished

"Yeah….how did you…."

"All three of them had it. The woman had hers on her chest, the fat one on his tongue, and the third on his thigh."

"How did you even get on their radar? Were you at Lab Five?" Ed asked forcefully

"Gracia had asked me to go get some medicine for her and I passed Lab Five on the way. When we were leaving we heard an explosion so we took a different route around the back of Lab Five. That's when the fat one asked if he could eat Wra-Warren and I." I said, almost slipping up with Wrath's name because of the dizziness.

Luckily he didn't catch the slip.

"How did you survive the encounter? They told me that I was 'an important sacrifice' and that 'they allowed me to live'. I was important but what about you?" Ed asked adamantly

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't just say 'Truth was being an ass and forced me to meet the palm tree and the other psycho's because he would then question everything about me and Wrath. I also couldn't tell him that I was from another world or that I knew his life's story and his future. Ugh! I don't want to lie but….Ah to hell with it! I'm going with the cliche!

"I don't really know. Most of it was a blur after the woman stabbed me so I have no idea if Warren did something or if the situation was like yours and they let us go." I said

Ed looked deflated and kind of pissed. I guess he wanted a definite answer from me to try and piece together the puzzle that was Wrath and I.

"I don't know if I should trust you but I can't really argue with you right now, I'll have to take your word for it. I just have one last question." Ed replied

"And that would be?"

"Why didn't you tell Hughes?"

"I don't know if you remember but Hughes is basically like my dad. He took my brother and I in when he had no reason to. I didn't tell him because I know that those people are bad news. Hughes has a family; a loving wife and daughter and I couldn't live with myself if he got involved or killed because of me!"

Ed looked shocked at what I said but then his face became somber

"I get it, I do. But you know it's really funny. The adults tell us to trust them and want us to tell them what's going on in order to protect us but in the end, we end up protecting them. The irony in that is too much."

I leaned my head back onto my pillow and stared at the ceiling. Ed was right; the adults think that it's their job to protect us kids but really it's the kids who end up protecting the adults.

"Hey Alanis." Ed asked

"Yeah Ed?"

"Do you mind telling me what happened to your parents? What happened to make you and your brother travel so much and end up with Hughes?"

"There's not really much to tell. Our mother and father are gone and we're never going to see them again." I said

"You sound like you hated your parents." Ed said with a weird tone I couldn't quite distinguish

"You can't hate someone who you really didn't know."

"I know I have no right to pry but I'm really curious; what happened to you and your brother?" Ed asked

"You're right, you do have no right to pry but I don't really care at the moment. I need a distraction for the needle in my arm and I really don't care about you knowing my past. My parents were never really there to begin with so when they died when Warren was four nothing really changed. The only major change was me taking Warren and trying to find a new place for us." I said without much emotion. I was just reciting a script after all

Ed gave me an incredulous look and said

"That….really sucks. I'm sorry I asked."

"It doesn't really bother me. I know that other people have had it way worse than us so I don't care about the past, I just try and move forward." I said with a shrug

"Well I should get back to my room. Al is there and I need the rest. Sorry for prying into your life and I'm sorry about what happened to you." Ed said while getting up.

"Don't be and take care of yourself Ed. Those people will probably come back and you need to be ready. I just hope they don't come after me and my brother. I don't want to get the Hughes's caught up in this and get hurt."

Ed nodded and left the room with a wave. I put my head back on my pillow and slowly started drifting off.

*? POV*

"Welcome back. What news do you have for me?"

"Lab Five was destroyed" a sultry voice spoke

"And we met some _very_ interesting humans" a second voice spoke

"Tell me all about it."  
-

**And that's a wrap!**

**What did you think of chapter 2? Did you expect anything that happened? Did you like or hate it? **

**Now that the normal questions are out of the way, here is my thanks to everyone who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed!**

**So thank you **

**Bella Nightray**

**CityOfWillHerondale914**

**Daddy'sLittleAngie99**

**Sophita10**

**The Utterly Fabulous Z**

**sunlightxiii**

**Airal**

**Kaeghlighn**

**So thanks a bunch to all of you! You guys are what keeps me writing. Now all I ask is if you could so kindly review and tell me what you think! Also if you have any ideas or scenes you might wanna see added let me know. Who knows you might just see it!**

**Again Thanks a bunch!**

**-TheAlleyCat**


	3. OC Guidlines

**Hey reader's! Here is the new version of the OC submission guidelines. Before this I asked for your OC to be 100% human and not an alchemist but now your OC can be an alchemist OR a chimera! (just no homunculi please!) They can be any age or gender, it doesn't matter. So here is the outline for your OC submission!**

**Name:** it can be just a first name or a first and last, it doesn't matter

**Race/Country of Origin:** where is your character from? Are they from one out the outer countries or are they Amestrian? Are they Ishvalan?

**Species (human or chimera): **if your OC is a chimera let me know what kind and what abilities being a chimera gives them. Nothing too extreme though please!

**Alchemist?: **is your OC an alchemist? If so, what kind of alchemy do they use? Are they a state alchemist?

**Age:** it can be any age, I have no preference

**Appearance:** please be descriptive with this! I want to be able to see the OC you imagined and have everyone else see them too!

**Clothing Style:** just let me know what they would normally wear or what they find comfortable

**Personality:** this part needs to be the most descriptive part of the entire guideline. I need to know you OC inside and out in order to convey them in a way that is true to what you envision your OC to be like. It also makes writing them so much easier when I know how they act and react with the world around them.

**History:** just some background knowledge of your character to see where they came from, what they've experienced, and all that jazz

**Like:**

**Dislikes:**

**Other:** anything else about your OC I should know? weird quirks, sexual preferences, gender identity, fears, etc.

**Please PM me your OC of if you don't have a Fanfiction account you can leave them in your reviews. I look forward to seeing all of your wonderful characters! **


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA, just my OC

*Envy POV*

We had returned back to Father after the incident at Lab Five.

"Welcome back. What news do you have for me?" Father asked

"Lab Five was destroyed" Lust said in a bored tone

"And we met some _very_ interesting humans" I interjected thinking about the girl and her brother

"Tell me all about it." Father said while leaning towards us

"Well the Fullmetal boy found out about Lab Five and we had to destroy the evidence. He came out mostly unscathed so we don't really need to worry about losing a sacrifice." Lust explained

"And the other humans?" Father asked curiously

"It was the strangest thing Father." Lust began

"Why don't you let me explain Lust. Besides I actually ran into the girl before." I said

Lust nodded at me to continue

"It was about three days before the Fullmetal Pipsqueak found out about Lab Five. I was disguised as a human and bumped into her. I thought nothing of it at the time but now looking back she had an interesting reaction. She was fine until she met my eyes.

"I'll admit that I didn't change my eyes while I was transformed but no one really pays attention to small details like that on a person they don't know but she did. She had this...look...like she knew me but it vanished so quickly that I almost dismissed it completely."

"You must be careful Envy." Father said sternly

"Yeah yeah I get it. The next time I saw her she was walking home through a back way with her brother after Lab Five was blown to smithereens. She was terrified when she saw us. Well she was terrified that Gluttony was going to eat her and her brother."

"But what happened? I'm guessing Gluttony didn't eat them." Father interrupted

"That's the thing Father! Gluttony took one look at the girl up close and started blubbering like an idiot!"

"Really now? Is that true Gluttony?" Father asked curiously

"She was bad Father. Really bad! I couldn't eat her." Gluttony whimpered

I was curious to see what Father thought about this.

"Couldn't eat her Gluttony?" Father asked intrigued

The fat lard just shook his head and went back to whimpering. Tch, pathetic.

"Was there anything else Envy?" Father asked me

"Yeah, both of them could perform alchemy without circles. Also after the girl passed out, she woke back up….but something felt…._off_….about her." I murmured remembering what I felt after she passed out then woke up.

"Something felt off? Tell me, what did you feel? Was there anything else about her that you noticed?"

"I don't know! I just got this creepy feeling from her and the only other thing I noticed that changed were her eyes. They looked they had rings in them and they looked empty. Like they were void of everything that made them human. I don't know how else to describe them. I just know that it was creepy." I ended shivering at the memory of those eyes

Father just nodded at me and sat back in his chair.

I wanted to leave and go cause mayhem somewhere on some unsuspecting humans. I wanted to make them scream for their lives only for them to die with my arm shoved into their chest. The thought of those pathetic worms screaming and dying brought a smirk to my face. Then Father spoke.

"These humans could be of use to us. They are now sacrifice candidates so killing them is out of the question. I want to know who they are and how we can get them on our side and help in achieving our goal. Envy, I leave this job to you."

"What!" I yelled

"The human girl will be easier to deal with if she is on our side and her brother should go along with her. So Envy, your job is to befriend this human girl and make sure that she will be of use."

My eyes bulged at his orders

"What do you mean _befriend_ that human! Can't I just capture her and get it over with?" I pleaded.

"Enough! You _will _befriend the human and that is final. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." I mumbled then asked

"But how would I befriend her?"

"She is a normal teenage girl it shouldn't be that hard." Father said simply

Great I now have a mission that I know I'm doomed to fail. How do I get close to that pathetic piece of crap? I'm good at torture not being _kind_, which I _know_ that girl is looking for in a friend.

"Oh and Envy"

I looked up to Father

"Your mission starts now."

I glare at the floor and storm out of the room. Damned Father and his damned mission! How the hell am I supposed to do this!

*Alanis POV*

Let me get one thing straight: hospitals _suck_. It's not just one thing that sucks about them, it's everything! The food, the staff, the beds, you name it! They all suck. So why am I ranting right now? I just learned that I'm going to miss Elicia's birthday party because the hospital wants to keep me here for observation. Well I am saying _hell no_ to missing my new sisters birthday. I even made her a gift!

Oh and Winry finally appeared to fix Ed's arm. The nurse said I could walk around and I went to Ed's room after wandering for a while. So here I am, talking with Winry while Ed's arm is being reattached.

"Winry could you hurry up!" Ed whined

"If you didn't get into dangerous situations then you wouldn't be complaining!" Winry yelled back

I giggled at the two.

"Yeah Alanis, laugh at the boy in pain!" Ed yelled at me

"Don't take it personally Ed, I have a twisted sense of humor and I laugh at the pain of others." I said with a smile

"So Alanis, you never did tell me how you and Ed met." Winry said offhandedly

"I met him when I went to the First Branch Library and then when he came over to have dinner with the Hughes's." I replied

"You didn't meet them doing anything dangerous? That's a first." Winry said with some humor

"The only dangerous thing that happened was the way Ed devoured his dinner. He murdered that poor chicken!" I said dramatically

"It's not my fault your cooking was awesome." Ed grumbled

"You cook?" Winry asked

"Yeah, and if Ed is anything to go by, then I guess I'm decent. Plus I also work at a bakery about three streets from here….I think. I don't have the layout of central memorized." I said with a shrug

"I really wanna try you food now." Winry said while working on Ed's arm

"I don't-"

"Ed! How goes!" Hughes barged in, cutting me off mid sentence

"Hughes!" Ed exclaimed

"Hey Hughes." I said

"Alanis! My precious daughter!"

Winry gave me a questioning look that I shrugged at.

"Ed, how come you didn't say that your girlfriend was coming?" Hughes asked

"Sh-She's not my girlfriend! She's my mechanic!" Ed yelled

"I'm Winry Rockbell. Nices to meet you." Winry said with a smile

"Nice to meet you Miss Rockbell. Now Alanis I was able to pull some strings and I'm busting you out!" Hughes told me

"Yes!" I jumped

Then I sat back down, holding my head and shoulder because I got really light headed plus the jump aggravated my shoulder.

"You are a saint Hughes." I said with a smile

"I did it for Elicia because she wants her big sister back home and Warren hasn't been as cheerful. You know he blames himself for what happened." Hughes said

"Well I can't wait to see Elicia and celebrate her birthday and Warren shouldn't be all moody. I'm his big sister so it's my job to protect him at all costs." I said

Well, technically _he _ is supposed to protect _me_ but who cares.

'_I do little human'_ Truth muttered in my head

I ignored him and opted to listen to Hughes again

"Well Elicia will be really happy to have you home. Oh and Winry you're invited to Elicia's party too!" Hughes said excitedly

Hughes chatted some more with Winry while I went back to my room so I could get a final check up so I could be discharged. The nurse was super rude saying that I shouldn't be leaving yet and that Hughes was stupid for forcing my release. I kept silent because I didn't feel like wasting my breath on her. I was just getting ready for Elicia's party and for all the squeals from the children.

After I was done with my check-up, Hughes came by with a bag of clothes.

"I know that you needed clothes. Elicia picked it out." He said softly

I took the bag with a small smile and shooshed him out of the room. I opened the bag only to find a dress, panties, and a bra (courtesy of Gracia probably). I hate dresses but if Elicia wants me to wear it then I would.

It was a navy blue dress with three quarter sleeves and a skirt that reached my knees and flared out a bit. It also had a thin brown belt at the waist. Thank god that it was a loose dress instead of a tight one. If it had been tight I wouldn't have worn it. (sorry Elicia!)

I put the everything on and walked out of the room. Hughes was waiting outside with Winry.

"Ah you're done! Ready for the party? Oh and here are your shoes!" Hughes said

He gave me a pair of brown sandals that matched my belt. I put them on and we all left hell- I mean the _hospital_.

As we were walking home Hughes took the initiative to start a conversation

"So Alanis, what did you get Elicia for her birthday?"

"You'll see when she see's Hughes. I know you and you won't be able to keep it a surprise."

Hughes pouted at me and Winry laughed. The walk home went on like that- Hughes would make a comment and I would say something to contradict him.

When we finally made it home, the door opened and I was attacked by Wrath and Elicia. Both of them wrapped me up in hugs and tears. I hugged them back and tried to calm down Elicia so she could enjoy her party.

"Elicia I'm fine! There is no need for tears, besides it's your birthday! It's a happy day so no crying kay?"

She nodded her head and used her arm to wipe her tears. I ushered her into the house along with Wrath. Wrath looked back at me with a sad expression that quickly changed to a determined one. Gracia welcomed me back with a gentle hug and told me to go spend time with everyone else while she finished the cake.

"So Elicia how does it feel to be three?" I asked her excitedly

"It's so cool!" She said excitedly

"Do you know when daddy is going to let you open presents?"

"Maybe now! I'll go ask him!"

She ran over to Hughes and I could see her jumping up and down asking to open presents. Hughes was just gushing over how cute she was with Winry and then Hughes said something to her and she ran back to me.

"He said I can open them after cake!"

"Well let's hope that the cake is done! I want to see what you think of my present." I said with a smile

"Ooooo! What did you get me?" she squealed

"You shall see!" I chuckled

That's when Gracia called everyone over to sing happy birthday and cut the cake. Everyone sung and Elicia blew out her candles with great enthusiasm.

"Now can I open presents?" she asked her parents

"Yes you can! I'll go get them for you ok sweetie?" Hughes gushed

Elicia squealed happily and bounced in her seat. Hughes brought over a handful of gifts and I ran to my room to get mine. Elicia opened each gift with enthusiasm and squealed at the reveal of each gift.

When it was time to open Wrath's gift, Elicia unwrapped it more carefully than the ones before but she still did it with the excitement of a three year old.

"No way! A stuffed kitty! It looks just like Sirus!" she squealed

Wrath was able to find a stuffed cat that looked like Sirus- dark grey/silver fur with green/gold eyes. Elicia had fallen in love with Sirus and now she had one of her own.

My present was the last one to be given.

"Now Elicia, I hope you like my gift. I spent a lot of time getting it ready for you!" I told her

She nodded eagerly and I passed her the gift. She opened it with such care that it took what felt like an hour before all the paper was finally ripped off.

Elicia's eyes widened at her gift. I had made a large, ornate book with all of her favorite stories that I painstakingly hand wrote.

"Its so pretty…." she whispered in awe

"It has all of your favorites in there." I told her

"Does it even have the Atlantis story?"

I nodded at her and she hugged the book to her body.

Then a flash caused my head to turn sharply. Hughes had just taken a picture of Elicia and I and everyone was staring at us. I blushed like crazy and yelled

"Hughes!"

He just giggled-yes giggled- and ran into the other room. I hate it when he takes pictures of me.

After that, the party came to a close because most of the children had to go back home. I tried helping clean up but Gracia got mad at me

"You just got out of the hospital! You shouldn't be moving your shoulder and you should be resting. I've got it so go sit down." she scolded

I pouted and did as I was told. I hated being useless and got really frustrated with myself when I was. Damn Lust for getting me hurt! Then that reminded me….

"Warren, can you come here." I yelled

Wrath appeared literally five seconds later with a worried expression.

"You and I need to talk. Let's go to our room so no one hears." I said only loud enough for him to hear.

He nodded but looked really worried. He needed to because he was going to get one hell of a scolding!

We went into the room and I motioned for him to sit on the bed. He sat down apprehensively and I narrowed my eyes at him. He gulped

"I thought I told you not to use alchemy!" I hissed at him. I didn't want to be loud and attract Hughes.

"You were in trouble!" He defended

"It doesn't matter because if the others realize that your alchemy is different than normal then they're going to come after you!. We're supposed to be standing in the shadows and not making ourselves targets."

"I did it to protect you!" Wrath countered

My glare softened

"I know you were just doing your job but please don't act so rashly next time. There are other ways to get the job done that keeps us out of the spot light."

Wrath sighed and just hugged me. I wrapped my arms around him and I yawned. I was tired and I needed a real bed, not that crappy hospital mat that they call a bed.

"Wrath I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed. I haven't had a good night's sleep since I went to hell- I mean the hospital."

"Was the hospital really that bad?" Wrath giggled

"You are so lucky you heal fast." I grumbled

Wrath just laughed some more and hugged me again. I left to go take a shower and let me tell you it was heaven-ish! In the hospital, the nurses had to help me take a shower and let me tell you it was so freaking _awkward_ to have a nurse help me bathe. I relished the fact that I could take a nice hot shower on my own.

Now let me get one thing straight, when I say hot shower I actually mean a scalding hot shower. If my skin doesn't scald then it isn't a hot shower. I know it might not be good to take such a hot shower but it feels so _good_. But sadly for me I couldn't take a hot shower because of my stitches and the raw skin from my shoulder.

I learned this the hard way when I stepped into the shower and when the water touched my shoulder I yelped in pain. I thought maybe I could slowly adjust my shoulder so I could take a hot shower but no, my shoulder had to be a butt. I sigh and lower the heat on the shower, scowling at the fact I couldn't truly enjoy my shower. When I finished, I put on my pj's- an extra large t-shirt that reached my mid thigh- and a pair of panties then dragged myself to bed. Wrath crawled in next to me and snuggled into me. I hugged him close and it was lights out for me.

When I woke in the morning, Gracia was setting the table with breakfast. There were pancakes and fruit. Most normal people would eat pancakes with either eggs or bacon but not me. I actually hate bacon with a burning passion. I don't know why but I do and everyone says that there's something wrong with me for not liking bacon. I just tell them that it's more for them.

I ate breakfast in peace and quiet since Elicia was still sleeping. She had a long day yesterday and it really tuckered her out. Then I spoke

"Gracia, I'm going to the bakery today. I think they might let me work. And before you say anything, I promise to take it easy and ask for help when I need it. I just really need to do something. I feel like I'm going stir crazy."

Gracia sighed

"I really think you should rest up for a few more days but if you're promising to be careful then I'll let you go."

I gave her a thankful smile and finished my breakfast. When I finished I got dressed, putting on a baggy grey sweater that reached mid thigh, a pair of black leggings, and light tan boots that reached mid calf. I also put on my moon necklace, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door with Wrath acting as my shadow. I wonder what my boss will say about this.

I reached the bakery and my boss had a fit.

"Alanis! What the hell do you think you're doing? You should be at home resting!"

"I'm fine! I just needed to get away, ya know?" I said

"So you come to work? Most people would've taken advantage of the fact that they could miss work."

"Well, I miss the bakery. I may not like dealing with people but I like cooking and baking. I just needed a place to escape and forget what happened. To try and bring back some semblance normalcy." I said softly, hoping my boss would take the bait.

He huffed and said

"I understand, but also know I didn't expect you back for a few more weeks so I hired a temp."

I cocked my head and said

"Who did you hire?"

"He'll be coming in a few minutes so I'll introduce you. He only started yesterday and didn't really know how the shop operates. I know I can trust you to explain things a bit more."

"No problem! Oh and can my brother stay in the shop? He's been really clingy since the accident."

"Sure thing. Just make sure he behaves himself."

I nod at my manager, put on my apron, and get to work. I prep the ingredients for some cakes and frosting. I had to be careful that I didn't lift my arm higher than my chest or the wound would start hurting. Wrath also monitored me like a freaking hawk and whenever I was about to lift something he would look at it and make sure it was light. I had gotten almost everything when I noticed that the sugar was on the top shelf and it required both hands to get. I tried going on my tip toes but I wasn't tall enough to get it. I mean come on! I'm only 5'5" for pete's sake! Then there was a large arm that came from behind me and grabbed the sugar.

My eyes widened and I looked at the person who grabbed the sugar. It was a guy. He's pretty tall, maybe 6'2'' and he has spiky black hair. And when I say black hair, I mean like inky black hair and he has the most striking blue eyes. They were seriously like pools of liquid sapphire. He also has a slight tan and I can see many scars on his body. He's wearing a tight muscle shirt, baggy black cargo pants, and an apron. Oh and did I forget to mention he's ripped? Like Chris Hemsworth/ Thor ripped.

My final analysis is that he is yummy. Yeah I know I literally just saw this guy but I am a hormonal teenage girl who has just been graced with some serious eye candy. What else am I supposed to think?

"_Try keeping your thoughts to yourself little human."_ Truth interjected annoyedly

"_You're in _my _head Truth so deal with it."_ I said smugly

I made sure I didn't focus on him for too long so I didn't make things awkward and I took the sugar from his outstretched hand.

"Thanks….umm…."

"Luce. Felix Luce."

I melted at his baritone voice. And he even used the James Bond format of greeting! Squee! I smile at him and say

"My name's Alanis. I take it you're the new guy?"

He just nodded and I continued

"Well the boss said that you started yesterday and that if you have any questions you can just ask me. So any questions at the moment?"

He thought for a moment then spoke

"I thought you weren't supposed to come in for a few weeks, What happened?"

"I was mugged and stabbed in the shoulder. I was feeling stir crazy so I decided to come back to work." I said airily

He just raised an eyebrow at me said

"You sound like being mugged is a regular occurrence for you."

"Nah, I just don't like to dwell."

He nodded and asked

"What do we do first today?"

I looked around the bakery and took notice of the foods that had already been made and what needed to be made.

"I looks like we need to make some red velvet mini cakes and some chocolate elephant ears for now. Though we have enough elephant ears to last us until the afternoon rush, let's get started on the cakes."

He nodded at me and I asked

"Do you know how to make red velvet cakes?"

He blushed and looked down

"Not really. I never really cooked stuff like this before."

"Well I'll teach you! It's not that hard really. Here I'll show you all the ingredients and what to do with them. Be warned, this can get a bit messy."

He just nodded at me to continue. I show him all of the ingredients and all of the measurements. Once that was explained, I started the actual baking process. having him copy exactly what I was doing step by step. He never really asked many questions, Instead, if he got confused he would look at what I was doing and go from there. He had a few bumps but that's to be expected from someone who's never done this before.

"Now that the batter is done we pour it into the pans and put them in the oven for about twenty minutes." I said

"How would we know when it's ready?" he asked

"Well, I judge the time by the frosting."

He gave me a quizzical look and I continued

"We still need to make the frosting for the cakes and the frosting takes about twenty minutes to make. That's why I said I judge by the frosting." I smiled

He just nodded again and I did the whole process of showing him the ingredients and measurements to him again. He was actually better at making frosting than the cakes. I think it was because the process and steps were easier to follow. We worked in a comfortable silence. Soon both the frosting and cakes were done.

I went for the gloves to take out the cakes but Felix beat me to it and took the cakes out instead. I pouted because I could do the job but I just got a stern look from him. I sigh in resignation and say

"Now we put the cakes in the cooler for about fifteen minutes and then we put the frosting on. I'll show you a couple of techniques on how to frost as and how to decorate each cake. Then when we're all done you can try a piece of yours and one of mine to see where you need to practice. Is that alright?"

Being a man of few words he just nodded….again.

That's how the day went. I would ask him questions and lead him through on how to make the different dishes, Wrath would input and try to make conversation while also making sure I didn't hurt myself any further, and Felix would mostly just listen and say one or two words to show that he was paying attention to me.

Sometimes I felt that he wasn't the only one watching my every move. There was someone else watching. The only question was who.

*Envy POV*

This really fucking sucks. I mean this _really_ fucking sucks. Father is making me befriend a human and I have no idea as to how I'm supposed to do that. Maybe if I watched her for a while, see what she's like, then maybe I can manipulate her to make her think I was her friend. That sounds like an ok plan.

Now for the tricky part, where is she?

I know she's in Central and she had to have gone to a hospital. The only thing was _where!_ There were endless possibilities on where she could be but I had no clue. Maybe I could ask Pride to look for her. He has eyes all over this city and could find this girl easily. Hell he could tell me everything about her to make my job easier.

I've decided. I'm going to Pride. I have no patience with this sort of job and any way to make this easier is more than welcomed.

I make my way through the maze of tunnels under Central, occasionally yelling at one of the "guardians" because they pissed me off. I see shadows flicking here and there and I know Pride knows that I'm coming for him.

I sigh.

"Pride where are you? I know you're watching."

The shadows shift.

"My my, what brings you here Envy?"

"You heard about the job that Father gave me." I grimaced

"Ah. Befriending the girl right?" Pride's voice echoed

"Yeah and I was wondering if you could help." I said through gritted teeth

Pride emerged before me with a smirk more devilish than my own. Great he's going to play games. He may be older than me but he acts like the age his body is.

"What is it you need help with Envy?"

"No need to mock me Pride. This is a shitty job and you know it!"

His smirk stayed in place

"This job is easy. I thought you would have enjoyed toying with the human."

"It'd only be fun if I got to kill her in the end." I grumbled

"Just tell me what you need. I'm very busy you know."

"Who is she? Where does she live? What does she like? Is she one of those girls who fall for a pretty face?" I listed

Pride chuckled and I narrowed my eyes

"What's so funny Pride?"

"It's nothing Envy. As for your questions….I won't answer. I'm going to make you work."

"Damn it Pride! I'm actually _asking_ for help so what the hell?" I yelled

"This job isn't a challenge. There is no need for my help and you are just wasting your time by asking me these pointless questions. You have done harder jobs so quit whining and find the girl."

Then Pride vanished. Damn him! I actually humiliated myself by asking for help and he just _leaves_! Damn it!

I punch the wall next to me, taking my frustration out on it.

I make my way out of the tunnels and no one bothered me. I'm pretty sure that they all felt my rage and annoyance and stayed clear. Good. I'm in no mood to deal with people.

I make it out of the tunnels and change myself into a nondescript soldier since I took the exit through Central Command. The frown never left my face as I walked through the halls and on to the street. When the coast was clear I changed form again into another nondescript human in normal clothing.

My search now truly begins. It's been about a week since the incident with the girl and her brother so she should still be in the hospital. Which hospital is closest to Lab Five? I think it's Central's main hospital since it's only about a block and a half from the now demolished lab.

I head in the direction of the hospital and transform into a nurse. I make my way in and ask other nurses and doctors if they knew where the girl was.

"Hm….you said she had a shoulder wound?"

"Yes."

"Oh she's in room 215 three doors down from the Fullmetal Alchemist's room!"

I smiled at the nurse and went to the room. Finally I had the girl! I walked down the hallways looking at the increasing room numbers.

189

203

211

215!

Finally! I grab the handle and opened the door. I stepped inside only to find another nurse making the bed. What! Where is she?

"Do you know where the patient went?" I asked trying to sound pleasant through my annoyance

"She's a fool that's what she is! Her guardian released her even though her wound was still pretty severe! Damn military for pulling strings." The woman ranted

"You said someone from the military released her?" I curiously asked

"Yeah her guardian is Maes Hughes. He's a nice fellow but stupid for releasing her!"

This is interesting. She lives with military. Getting close might be easier than I thought.

"Do you remember her name? She left something that I was told to give her?" I said suppressing a smirk

The nurse lifted a brow then shrugged

"Her name was weird. I believe it was Ali- no wait it was Ala-something. Ala….Alan….oh! It was Alanis!"

Now it was my turn to raise a brow. Alanis? What kind of a name is that? Was it Drachman? Who knows but now I have her name and the name of her guardian.

"Thank you very much. You made my job _much_ easier." I said not suppressing my smirk anymore.

I walked out of the room and went back outside. I decided to go back to central command to see if I could learn where this Maes Hughes lives. Military personnel files shouldn't hard to access with Wrath as Führer of this damned country. I make my way to Wrath's office and see that he's in a meeting. It's with some random soldier so I won't be interrupting something important. I walk in, still in the guise of a soldier and saluted to Wrath.

"Yes Soldier? Is there something you need?" Wrath hummed

"I had a request _Sir_." I grinned

Wrath nodded to the other soldier in the room and the human left. When the door closed I changed into my preferred form.

"Ah Envy, what is it that you need from me?"

"Just the address of an officer. I learned that my new mission lives with him." I said flippantly

"And who might this officer be?" Wrath said with his eyes narrowed

"Maes Hughes. I know the guy but I don't know where he lives."

Wrath nodded and said

"I have his information here actually. I recently gave him a promotion so you actually came at a good time. Let's see….ah here. He lives two blocks from here at the military apartment complex. His home is on the sixth floor and is apartment number 626. Anything else I can do for you?"

I smirked

"This is enough."

I turned to walk out, transforming back into the soldier when Wrath said

"I hope you know how you're going to befriend the girl. I wouldn't want to mess this up for Father."

"I know what I'm doing Wrath." I replied sharply and walked out the door

I actually have no idea what I'm going to do. I'll find her tomorrow and try and think of something.

*Next Day*

I walk out of the tunnels and make my way to the apartments where Hughes is supposed to live. I climb up to the roof and try and see If I can find the girl through any of the windows. Most of them are blocked by curtains. Tch just my luck. I continue to look around but didn't find her. Maybe she left the house….

I jumped down from the roof, turned into a nondescript human, and started walking along the sidewalk. I looked into the shop windows to see if she was in any of them. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I sigh and shake my head. Why is finding one little human girl so hard!

Maybe it's because she doesn't have any outstanding features. I mean she could blend in anywhere with her pale skin, dark brown, wavy hair, and matching dark brown eyes. She looked average. The only thing that _may_ make her a little different is her name. _Alanis_. What the hell kind of a name is _that_? What were her parents thinking? My thoughts stopped at the sound of a voice.

"Hey Felix, you can go on break now. I can handle changing the chalk board."

I turned to see the girl I've been trying to track down. She looks tired and more pale than the last time I saw her. Why was she working? I casually walk into the bakery and look around. I act like any other customer and even order some food.

Her little brother was there too, sitting at one of the small tables in the shop watching his sister like a hawk. Aww, how disgusting. I order a random pastry and get out of the shop. I walk a bit away from the shop and climb up to the roof. I jump from one roof to the next until I found a place where I could see the girl through the window. I changed into my preferred form and got comfortable.

I watched her as she mulled around the store, occasionally clutching at her shoulder. So it seems she really wasn't fully healed. No wonder the nurse was being bitchy. I took the pastry from the bag and took a bite. I'm actually surprised that it tastes good. Normally I don't bother with eating unless I need to but I'm actually kind of glad I bought it. So that's another thing I have on her, she can actually bake well.

As the day progressed, I noticed more quirks about her. When she starts baking, she ignores everything and everyone. That pissed off a customer when he wanted to order. I could see the man turning red as she continued to ignore him and bake. I chuckled. Humans can be entertaining to watch sometimes. Then the man working with her came from the back room and glared at the raging customer. The wimp stopped his yelling and shrunk a little when the black haired man glared. The customer asked for his order and took off.

Another thing I noticed was how protective the girls little brother was. He watched her constantly and also kept tabs on the people walking in and out of the bakery, looking for something. What could he possibly be looking for? Maybe it was me. I smirk. If he was looking for me, he would have one hell of a hard time finding me. I can be anyone and anything I want. He also yelled at her whenever she lifted her injured arm too high or went to grab something heavy.

It was a weird dynamic. Even Fullmetal and the tin can weren't like this. Sure they had some loyalty and care for each other but not like this. It was so strange. Maybe it's a human thing. Humans are known for being strange. Though the more I looked the more differences I saw between the siblings. The boy was so sickly pale and his sister was pale but not like him. He just looked sick. Their facial features were also noticeably different. The biggest difference was eye color. He had purple eyes while she had dark brown eyes.

I scoff at myself. Seriously. Why was I analyzing them? My goal is to try and find a way to trick the girl into becoming friends with me. I need to analyze behaviors not appearance. All I know right now is that she can bake, she's oblivious to the world around her while she bakes, she cares for her brother, and she's _kind_ to the people she interacts with. I think I might hurl.

Everything she does is so _human_. I thought back to the time when she escaped. Her _eyes_. Those weren't human eyes. Those were empty. How can she go from being something that was clearly _not_ human to just _human_? Something just doesn't add up about the girl. I mean she and her brother must have done human transmutation to be able to perform alchemy without a circle but there is nothing that could indicate that something from them was lost. Fullmetal lost his arm and leg and the tin can lost his whole body. Then there was the other woman who Father kept tabs on who lost her internal organs. They look like they still have everything. They may be more interesting than I thought.

I just watch her for the rest of the day and follow her home from the rooftops.

*Alanis POV*

"Bye Felix I'll see you tomorrow!" I say as I walk out of the bakery

Felix just nods goodbye and the door shuts behind me. Wrath follows me and when we step outside he grabs ahold of my hand. I give him a questioning look but he ignores it and holds my hand a bit tighter.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask

"I just feel uneasy. It's not like the others to wait this long to intervene. They should have come for us already." He replies with a frown

'_They're closer than you think little homunculus._" Truth pops in

My eyes widen a bit at his sudden appearance.

"According to the voice in my head, they're already moving in." I whisper with narrowed eyes

Wrath grips my hand tighter and scans the area.

'_Don't worry. they're not coming after you. They have been given orders not to harm you. They have just been watching." _Truth says nonchalantly

'_That's creepy. No wonder I've felt like there have been eyes on me. Any idea on which homunculus has been keeping tabs on us?_' I ask

'_What fun would it be if I gave you all the answers? Just know that they are watching you now and will be keeping closer tabs on you. Be cautious little human._' Truth responds then fades back to wherever he goes when he isn't in my head

"Wra-Warren." I say

"Yeah?"

"We gotta be more careful from now on. According to Truth, we're being watched. They're keeping tabs on us and we can't afford to slip up. If we do, it won't be good."

"So you won't call me by my real name in private anymore?" he asked

"I don't know who it is that's watching us so we can't be too careful"

Wrath nods and we make it to the apartment and go inside.

The night goes on like normal but now I can't help but feel eyes are watching my every move. I know one of the homunculi are watching and it makes me so paranoid. I just hope it isn't Pride. If it is, then we're screwed.

After my shower, I get Wrath and get ready for bed. Normally I would leave the blinds open but the feeling of being watched never left. I walked to my window and looked out into the darkened city. I didn't see anything but the feeling of eyes on me just became stronger. I stepped back and shut the blinds quickly. I walk over to the bed, cuddle with Wrath, and fall into a fitful sleep.

*Envy POV*

"Bye Felix, I'll see you tomorrow!" Alanis yells back at the black haired man

She waits outside the store for her brother to catch up to her. I stand up and brush off my legs and get ready to follow her home. Her brother comes out and goes to grab her hand. She looks at him with a questioning expression.

How curious. So this isn't normal behavior for the boy. Maybe there is something more to them….The girl says something that I don't catch and I only hear part of her brothers reply.

"...not like the others….should have come for us…."

What others? Who could they possibly be talking about? The girls expression changes. Her eyes widen in shock and surprise. My stomach drops and the uneasy feeling comes back. It's that same feeling I had when she had _those_ eyes. I almost stop following her just to be rid of that feeling but I suck it up and follow.

She looks lost in thought, like she's listening to someone. I try to focus on what she says but can only make out a few things

"...voice….already….in."

Her brother tenses and begins to scan the area. What caused him to tense like that? Did they spot me? No. I know they didn't. I'm on the roof and I'm like thirty feet behind them and I know I haven't made a sound. I narrow my eyes.

The girl gets that hazy look in her eyes again and that feeling returns tenfold. I grit my teeth. What the hell _is_ this? Why am I feeling like this? What is it about this girl that is so special?

I shiver. This feeling is sickening. I'm….I'm…._scared_. I'm actually _scared_. This feeling _terrifies_ me. More so than Father when he's mad at me. It's almost like….I don't even know. I don't want to know. She's talking to her brother again and I try to hear her but I can't focus. I only hear snippets of what she says

"...careful….truth….watched….tabs….slip….good."

Her brother responds and I can't hear anything. I feel like I'm gonna be sick. She talks again but I only catch two words. _Who_ and _watching_. So she might be on to me? Maybe it's someone else or she's talking about something else.

I shake my head and struggle to follow when that horrible feeling just disappears. Everything is fine again. I'm not sick anymore. It's like nothing happened.

I narrow my eyes. What the hell is up with this girl?

I follow her back to the apartment complex and watch her go inside. I go to the adjacent rooftop and try and finds her again. After two whole hours of searching I find her again.

Her hair is wet and all she's wearing is a large shirt. She's walking around the room and appears to be getting ready for bed. She looks like a pacing animal with all the walking she's doing. Then she turns to the window and walks over. I can see most of her body now since the window is large. I smirk. Not too bad. She has some nice curves from what I can tell-which is a lot. I mean she's only wearing a _shirt_\- but she isn't like Lust. She is more timid while Lust knows she's irresistible to humans. Alanis seems more shy and reserved with things like this. Then I notice her staring.

She's staring out like she's trying to find me, like she knows I'm watching her. Some humans seem to have the ability to know when they're being watched. I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of them considering my experiences with her. Then I freeze. her gaze meets my own and for the smallest moment I think my cover has been blown. Her gaze is steady and doesn't leave mine. Her dark brown eyes look black from this distance and I hold my breath. Father would _kill_ me if I screwed up this mission.

She looks away.

She continues to search the night for me but then she gives up. I release the breath I was holding. I would really have been screwed. She scans the darkness one more time then closes the blinds. I can see her shadow moving across the room until the lights go out. I move from my crouched position to a sitting position.

I don't know whether I should leave or not. I mean I don't need to go anywhere but there's also no point in me staying. Meh. I'll stay since I have nothing better to do and I don't feel like seeing any of my _siblings_ or Father. Plus it means I have an easier time keeping tabs on her and learning the best way to get close to her. I know I need to make a move soon or else Father will have my head.

I get comfortable, pulling one leg up to my chest while the other is straight. I rest on of my arms on my knee and look out into the night. Why was I given this job? Father _knows_ how much I hate humans so _why_?

I sigh.

I hope tomorrow is more eventful than today. Maybe I _should _introduce myself tomorrow. I need to get as close as I can to this girl before the Promised Day. Who knows, it might actually be _fun_ toying with her.

***low whistle* **

**This chapter was long...like 28 pages long...yeah...**

**I hope you liked it! I know it took a month to post but there are 2 reasons!**

**1) This chapter was 28 pages**

**2) I'm giving you time to submit OC's**

**I'm so happy with the turnout and all of the people who submitted OC's! I will just tell you all that they are all precious babies and ALL WILL BE USED IS FUTURE CHAPTERS. That is my promise and I will keep this promise. I also plan to use a new OC in each chapter even if it's a quick little thing like a filler character. I love you all for this and I hope you guys like it too. **

**Also this is a special thanks to reven228 whose OC Felix Luce was featured in this chapter. **

**Now time for questions!**

**What did you guys think? Did you expect Envy's assignment? How do you think this is gonna play out? What about what happens to Envy when Truth comes for a visit? Any comments on that? What do you guys want in future chapters? Is there anything in particular you want to see happen? Do you ship anything yet? My friend read this and already has a ship so that's why I'm asking. No pairings have been decided yet sooo...just let me know!**

**That was exhausting. And there is one more thing I have to announce about the OC submissions**

**I will choose the main OC that will be part of my diabolical fanfiction schemes and use it in chapter four- which is the next chapter. I will give you time to submit so chapter four might take longer to write than the last ones but I PROMISE to make it good! And the really good news! You can ALWAYS submit an OC. Like for the entirety of the fanfiction, so don't be scared that you won't get to submit one when you want to cuz you can always submit one. I'm just picking the major OC for the next chapter. More OC's are always welcome! **

**Again thanks to all of you wonderful readers who Followed, Favorited, Reviwed, and Submitted OC's. Without you this story would be nothing!**

**Please review and comment! I always like hearing what you people have to say!**

**Thanks a Bunch!**

**-TheAlleyCat**


	5. Chapter 4

**Is this...Is this what I think it is? An Update? Why yes, yes it is an Update! **

**Before this starts, I just want to thank you amazing readers for staying with me and this story. It means the world to me! So without further ado, Here is Chapter 4!**

Waking up the next morning, I noticed two sensations. One, I still had the feeling of being watched. Two, my shoulder was acting up and causing me _a lot_ of pain. I resisted the groan that wanted to escape my lips and reached for my bad shoulder. My hand gently touched the wound and I gasped sharply at the pain the light touch caused. Why was it hurting so much? I didn't do anything too bad yesterday at the shop, Wrath made sure of that. When I finally decided to open my eyes I was met with Wrath's concerned gaze.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked groggily

Wrath blinked a couple of times before shaking his head and replying

"Everything's fine...it's just that I noticed you were in pain and you whimpered a bit while you were sleeping. I was also thinking about what you said last night."

"My shoulder is acting up. It really hurts and I'm not sure why. I think I'll get it checked out today. And what did I say yesterday? I can't remember…" I muttered trying to remember the events of yesterday

"We need to find a way to know which one of the homunculi are watching us. Any ideas, thoughts, or friendly suggestions from Truth about any of this? And Gracia asked me a bit earlier to go with her to the market so I can't protect you while you go to the hospital. Plus I _told _you not to over exert your shoulder yesterday!" he chided me

I huff and pout at Wrath's scolding and I closed my eyes to feel if Truth was more prominent than usual. It's gotten to the point where I have to almost meditate to feel him inside me. Weird I know, trust me, I _know_. But I couldn't sense him, or at least he wasn't being as nosy as he normally is. I try probing at him but to no avail. He was ignoring me at the moment and didn't feel like sharing anything with the class. I sigh and pout at Wrath.

"He's ignoring me. And I did take it easy yesterday so I don't know why you're yelling." I pout

"Judging by the pain you didn't take it as easy as you thought. And I guess Truth's silence means we have to do trial and error elimination to figure out which homunculus is following us." Wrath sighed

I was about to speak when Hughes burst through the door with a smiling Elicia in his arms.

"Good morning my dear children! How are you this fine morning?" He shouts happily

I groan and sink further into the covers wincing in pain from my shoulder. How can he be this happy and loud so early in the morning? Is he even human? Seriously! He's even weirder than the freaking homunculi and _they_ are nothing more than rejected emotions/desires of _another_ homunculus that was freed by Hoenheim. Man that was a mouthful. Then Wrath grins slyly.

"Looks like big sister is still hurt! She didn't take it easy like she promised yesterday and now she says her shoulder hurts so bad that she wants to get it checked!" my dear _brother_ says with false concern

"Oh no! Big sister! Please be alright!" Elicia shouts in horror.

Again I dig myself under the covers and create a cocoon around myself and groan. Why me? What did I do to deserve what is to come? I didn't want to wake up but my shoulder said otherwise and now Hughes knows about the pain and I _know_ he's going to do something about it.

I feel Elicia climb onto the bed while Hughes sits by my feet at the end of the bed. Soon, she's sitting right on top of my stomach and has a the cutest look of concern on her face.

"Big sister please get better! Daddy tell her she's not allowed to get hurt! Last time she was hurt really badly, she was gone for a week." Elicia sniffles

"Don't worry princess, I'll make sure Alanis is fine and when you get back from shopping with mommy Alanis will be better. I promise. Now you and Warren go outside and eat breakfast, I want to talk with Alanis ok?" Hughes said in a scarily calm tone.

I gulped at what he might want to say to me. To any fan of the show, we all know that shit is about to get real when _Hughes_ is serious. So seeing this in the flesh is terrifying. Noticing my terror, Wrath gives me a cheeky grin and take Elicia out into the dining room for breakfast. When the door closed, Hughes turned to me with a serious expression.

"I've done some digging in order to find your attacker." he began

My eyes widen and I gulp

"Have you found anything yet?" I asked warily

"Actually I have. There were other reports of two men trying to mug people then chickening out after the initial attack on the person. We have them both in custody and have questioned them extensively. Both have confessed to all the crimes they committed except one."

I pale at his words. Damn! I didn't think this would happen. How was I supposed to know that these two dudes actually existed? I heard rumors about them but still...damn. Hughes took my silence as a cue to continue

"When I mentioned your case, both men had the exact same response and alibi about their whereabouts that night and there were several eyewitnesses to collaborate their claim. Neither of them had any recollection of you or your brother. Now I need you to tell me what really happened that night." he demanded, eyes narrowed at me

"...I can't…" I whispered

"What was that?" Hughes asked icily, sending a shiver down my spine

"I can't tell you Hughes."

"And why is that Alanis? Please elaborate."

"I can't tell you because if I did…" I trailed

"If you did what?" he asked sharply

I wanted to shout and scream at him that if he knew who attacked me then it would just send him to his grave faster! He would die and it would be my fault. It would be _my _fault that Gracia would cry every night over his death, _my_ fault that Elicia would be fatherless, _my_ fault that Mustang would go on a rampage, and _my_ fault that I caused his death. How could I tell him this? How could I tell him the truth about Wrath and I and _not_ have him think I'm clinically insane? I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.

"I can't tell you because I don't want anything to happen to you Hughes." I said softly

"What do you mean Alanis?" he asked confused

"If I told you then you would go looking for them and I can't let you do that. These people are not to be dealt with and I wouldn't be dealing with them if _fate_ hadn't decided to be an ass and put me in their path that night." I said bitterly

"That isn't your decision to make Alanis. I'm the adult here and it's my responsibility to make sure you and your brother are safe. I'm also part of the military and if these people are as dangerous as you say they are, then it's the military's job to take care of these threats." Hughes chided me

"That's the thing Hughes, you may be the adult but I have a lot less to lose compared to you."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked puzzled

"Let's say these people do come to look for me again, I'd rather they just kill me than kill you. If I died, the only people who would care would be Warren, you, Gracia, and Elicia. That's it. Everyone in this house are the only people who would actually care about me enough to miss me after I died.

"If you died Hughes, the loss would be so much greater. You have your entire family to worry about, you friends, your colleagues, your neighbors, hell even the postman would miss you! Your loss would have a much greater impact than some random teenage girl you met almost a month and a half ago. So please, don't get involved. I don't want to get any further involved with these people and I don't want you to worry about me. I can handle myself." I ended

Hughes looked taken back. he looked like he couldn't comprehend what I just said to him. I mean knowing him, he's probably wondering how I could care so little about myself. Maybe he thinks I'm depressed or suicidal? Who knows but the only thing I do know is that I will try my damned hardest to make sure Hughes lives. Knowing Truth, the price to save Hughes will be huge. I don't care though; I _will_ save him. To this I swear. Then I heard Hughes sigh

"You know, you and I are the exact same when it concerns the safety of those we care about. I just can't stand by and let others get hurt when there is something I can do about it. I want to help you but you're so stubborn that I know you won't let me. I hate that you lied to me but I understand. I understand your need to help those you care about." He said with a far off look in his eyes then continued

"But there is one thing that you're wrong about. More people would miss you than you think. Ever since you and your brother came to stay with us, I've told everyone about you. To them, you are another child of mine that I obsess about. They know you and would be sad if something did happen. I hate the fact that you seem to care so little about your importance but I'm telling you that you would be missed more than you initially thought. Even the Elric brothers and their friend Winry would miss you. So don't think for a second that you aren't as important as I am." he ended softly

"Hughes...I'm sorry for lying to you but I just couldn't risk you getting involved. You mean so much to me and to many others. I just don't want to see you get hurt." I whispered

"I know that and I understand, that's why after we get your shoulder checked out today I'm taking you somewhere where I can help you without actually helping you." he said with a smile

"And where would this place be?" I asked

"You shall see! Now get dressed and we'll be off to the doctors!" he cheered and left the room in a whirlwind

How the hell can this man go from 'so serious that I look like I'm about to murder someone' to 'is that guy seriously a military officer'? It just doesn't make sense. It's like he's two different people but I know it's all one person. Well as Dean Winchester once said; demons I get, people are crazy.

I get out of bed, wincing at my shoulder. It throbbed and I swore under my breath. It hurts almost as bad as the day Lust stabbed me. Why is it acting up like this? I know Truth hates pain so why would he deliberately make me feel pain when he feels _everything_ I feel? Is this his doing or is it something else? Truth had said my wounds would heal faster than a normal persons but I'm not seeing a difference. I sigh and get through my morning routine as quickly and as painlessly as I could.

It took about twenty minutes to do everything but I managed. The only thing I hate at the moment is that I'm wearing a dress. My shoulder was hurting way too much for me even to consider putting on a pair of pants. I mean the dress itself was really pretty. It was a violet and white sundress with spaghetti straps. The violet color was at the bust area then faded out into white near my natural waistline where the dress cinched at. From the cinched waist, the skirt flared a bit almost looking like an A-line skirt that reached my knees. Then at the very bottom the white faded back into violet. Again, it's a very pretty dress, but I hate wearing dresses because I feel so exposed and because I feel like no one would take me seriously in them.

So once I was done, I walked out noticing the only person left in the apartment was Hughes. He sat at the table with a newspaper and his breakfast. On the front was a picture of the rubble that was once Laboratory Five. From what I could see, they were still trying to figure out who may have caused the explosion at the 'abandoned' lab. I shook my head and headed into the kitchen to get something to eat. At the moment I didn't feel all that hungry so I settled for an apple and some juice. Pain makes me not hungry. That's when Sirus decided to make his presence known and rubbed himself against my legs. I knew he wanted me to carry him but I couldn't with my shoulder.

Once I was done with my apple and juice I went back to the dining room table where Hughes was

"When you're done, we can go." I said to Hughes

He looked up from the paper and said

"Sure thing, give me two minutes and we'll go."

He go up from the table, folded the paper, set it on his chair, then took all of his dishes into the kitchen. I heard the water run for a few seconds so I knew he had just put water on his plates and wasn't washing them. He then walked back into the room and gave me a smile.

"Let's go get you checked out then I have my surprise for you."

I smile back at him and put on a pair of black flats then exit the apartment.

When we walked outside, I could immediately feel eyes on me. I tried not to tense or give any indication that something was wrong to Hughes but he's sharp. He gave me a questioning look but I shook my head telling him nothing was wrong. We walked to the hospital in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable because Hughes knew I didn't talk all that much. He just left me alone with my thoughts and I left him alone with his. It was a nice day outside. It was breezy and warm. It's so unlike Florida where it's hot a muggy all the time and when it's not hot, it's a torrential downpour. This was great and I basked in the sun.

We soon came upon the hospital and I grimaced. I hated hospitals with a burning passion and my last visit did nothing to calm my hatred for these establishments. We entered the building and the scent of disinfectants hit my nose. I really don't like this. Hughes went up to the receptionist and started to explain everything and was led to a room.

"The doctor will see you shortly miss." the nurse said offhandedly then walked out

I turned to Hughes and asked

"Do you think they're going to stick me with any more needles?"

"I don't think so Alanis. If anything, they might just give you a sling to make sure you rest that arm." he chuckled

I frown and wait for the doctor. I could deal with evil homunculi and even Father but needles? No way! No how! I'd rather down a bottle of liquid medicine than have a needle shoved in me. That's when I felt a stir from Truth. I closed my eyes to see if he wanted to say anything but nope. Still nothing. The only thing I got was feeling that he was there, just being a passive observer. That's when the doctor came in.

"Good morning! What seems to be the problem?" he asked cheerily

"My shoulder is in a lot of pain." I stated simply

"Your charts say that you were stabbed is that right?"

"Yes."

"Let's have a look now shall we?" He said as he came towards me

The doctor removed the bandage from the wound and started pressing areas around the wound. I hiss in agony as he does so. What part of my shoulder is in _pain_ doesn't he understand? He's just making this so much worse! Ugh I hate doctors!

"Well from what I gathered, you're healing just fine. Your shoulder is actually healing a lot faster than I thought it would be but this is a good thing. The pain is mostly caused by the damaged muscles tightening and becoming knotted. This is normal and I would recommend either stretching the muscles or putting heating pads on them to loosen them. You also have to be cautious about the wound opening up again and bleeding. It may be healing fast but you have to be careful. As long as you keep your shoulder fully bandaged and don't stress it so much, it should be fine. You're all set and free to go! Have a good day!" the doctor ended and then promptly left.

Hughes then turned to me then said

"I'm going to go visit Ed and Al, do you want to come?"

"Nah, I'll just wait for you to finish."

"Alright. Just meet me at the front when you finish with the paperwork." he said then left

I left the room and headed to the receptionist. I was about to turn the corner when I bumped into something. I stumbled back and clutched my shoulder. Damn that really hurt! I look up to see a guy around my age with spiky red hair clipped back by some yellow barrettes. He was wearing red plaid pants with a green sweater and brown loafer like shoes. He was kind of short but still taller than my five foot five stature. He was maybe six inches taller than me and pale with a small splash of freckles on his face. What really caught my attention were his eyes. One was a bright blue and the other was almost electric green color.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" I asked

He chuckled then replied in what I could only describe as a thick Irish accent

"Ah, I'm fine! Jus' a bit stunned is all."

"That's good. Again I'm sorry for bumping into you." I said as I made my way to leave

"No problem! Are ya off somewhere?" he asked

"Yeah, I just have to fill out some paperwork at the front then wait for my guardian."

"Mind if I come wit' ya? I'm a tad lost." he chuckled while rubbing the back of his head

"Sure." I smiled

"Thanks! Oh an' tha names Keegan O'Neill."

"I'm Alanis. Can I ask where you're from? I haven't heard anyone with your accent here before."

"Ah it's no problem. I'm from tha farmlands tha' border Aerugo, Creta, an' South Amestris. I came ta Central for a change a scenery." He chuckled

"Well this must be completely different for you. Not so many trees and rolling hills. Just buildings and roads."

"Yeah, it's different but it's nice." he said with a far away look in his eyes.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. Keegan seemed cool. He was really different from everyone here but it suited him for some reason. Then again, people in this anime aren't really normal in any sense. I mean look at Armstrong! He is the only person who has pink sparkles and that one little curl of hair. Plus his flamboyant personality is nothing to sniff at as well. The you have Hughes...dear Hughes I love ya but you're just not human. I don't know what you are but you just can't be human.

Keegan and I finally reached the front of the building and I went to the receptionist desk. I had my forms with me and went to turn them in. The lady there grabbed my forms and handed me other papers to fill out and submit.

"Here you are dear. These are so you can be officially released. We just need records of who comes into the hospital and who checks out." the lady said in a cheery tone

I grabbed the papers and a pen and started filling them out. It was the usual forms with my name, birthday, age, gender, etc. It made me write the reason I came to the hospital, the time I came to see the doctor, the time I finished, and to see if I would schedule any more appointments with the doctor. I know I didn't have to come back so I left that part blank. All in all, the paperwork was long, boring, and useless. I hope I wouldn't have to come back here or go to any other hospital. I didn't plan on confronting any of the dangerous people in this world again and I hope Truth decides to cut me some slack. I don't want to get majorly involved and the whole incident at Lab Five should have warned him that I had no intentions of joining the story any more than I had.

I felt Truth stir a little in annoyance. He didn't feel like talking yet I could still feel the emotions he wanted to portray to me. It was so freaking weird! I don't know how to describe having a metaphysical being dwell in my body. It's just freaky when I feel emotions that aren't mine and having a voice in my head telling me that there is some great plan at work that I need to join in on. I shake off these thoughts and Truth's annoyance to turn in the papers.

Keegan is still in the lobby of the hospital looking like a lost puppy. Hughes isn't back yet from visiting Ed and Al so I go and talk with Keegan.

"Hey Keegan," I begin "are you alright? You look a bit lost."

He chuckles, rubs the back of his head and says

"I 'ave no idea where I am actually. I wan' ta go to this bakery I've been hearing of that's supposed ta 'ave these great desserts yet I 'ave no idea how ta get there!"

"Do you know the name of it?" I asked

"Yeah I think it's called tha Aredam Bakery. Ya know it?"

"I do actually! I work there." I smile

"Really? Tha's so cool!"

"If you want, I could take you there later. My guardian wants to take me out right after this so if you want to meet me later, I'll take you."

"Tha'd be great! But where would we meet? I don't know tha city that well." Keegan blushed

"What places are you familiar with?"

"Just 'ere an' my apartment" he said

"Well then, let's meet here since it's a place we both know. Though I must warn you, my younger brother might tag along. He gets really protective over me and doesn't really trust new people." I added to see his reaction. I can't be too careful with the homunculi hanging around

"Tha's fine! More tha merrier right?" he laughed

"Right!" I smiled

That's when Hughes came into the room and walked over to us.

"Ready to go Alanis?" Hughes asked

"Yeah Hughes. Oh and Keegan what time do you want to meet me at?" I asked looking to him

"How does six sound?" he asked

I looked to Hughes for confirmation and he nodded

"Six is fine. I'll see you later!"

"See ya!" he smiled

Hughes and I walked outside and that's when I regret ever talking to Keegan.

"That boy better be prepared if he thinks he's worthy of taking my daughter out for a date!"

I blanched and spoke

"What are you talking about Hughes?"

"To think that boy has the gall to ask you out without even consulting me first!" Hughes seethed

"Hughes calm down! That boy has a name and he only wanted to go to the bakery where I work. He's new to Central and needs help orienting himself. I live here and I still get lost. And no it's not a date Hughes."

"It's not a date?" Hughes asked with hope in his voice

"No it's not. Now stop worrying. Warren will probably tag along and Keegan seemed cool with that." I explained

"Thank goodness! I don't know what I would do if my precious daughter had a date!"

I chuckle at Hughes' antics and ask

"So where was it you wanted to take me?"

"Well after you got hurt, I decided that you needed a way to protect yourself. Knowing this world, I need you to be able to fight back if someone tries anything on you." He said seriously

"Am I going to a shooting range?" I asked curiously

"No but if you do go to Eastern Command, I'll ask Riza to give you shooting lessons. What I'm going to do is teach you my preferred way self defense."

"And that is?"

Hughes just smirked and let me through the streets of Central. I was so curious as to what he would show me. If he's showing me now, it must be something that won't really aggravate my shoulder. That really stumps me because anything I did would aggravate my shoulder. My right shoulder is my dominant one so basically anything would aggravate it. We walk for about ten more minutes before we make it to a small shop with a faded sign that read 'Castings'.

"Here we are!" Hughes suddenly exclaimed.

He opens the door for me and I walk in. What I saw made my little heart explode. It was a weapons store. Now I'm not a very violent person but I have this obsession/fascination of weapons. More specifically blades of any kind. Back home I had my own mini blade collection and I literally had two modified wakizashi next to my bed. Don't ask me why I'm fascinated I just am. So now I'm grinning like a madman because I'm in blade heaven.

"Since I can't be there to protect you all the time, I thought I would teach you how to handle throwing knives. They are easy to conceal and will help you when you get in a pinch. I can teach you some of the basics today that I know wouldn't hurt your shoulder. It would make me rest easier knowing you could protect yourself at some length, especially since you're going out with that _boy_ today." Hughes said with a glint in his eyes.

My only response was to give Hughes the biggest hug I could manage. He was going to teach me how to wield throwing knives! How awesome is that! Enemies beware, Alanis knows how to wield her new precious babies!

"Hello we would like some help." Hughes calls out

I hear a small bang from the back room along with a masculine 'ow' and a childish, girly giggle. Hughes and I chuckle at the small commotion and wait for the people to come out from the back. I'm just so excited for this! This is a dream come true really. Who knew all I needed to do to learn how to wield a knife properly was to enter a previously fictional world and have one of the main characters help me. No big deal right?

My head turns sharply when I hear a masculine voice say

"How can I help you today?"

A guy around my age comes out along with a little girl who looks similar to him. He had long, black hair tied in a low ponytail that reached his mid back and dark brown eyes. He was around the same height as Keegan but he was a bit more lanky than Keegan and was wearing a baggy grey muscle shirt and black cargo pants. The littler girl had the same black hair and brown eyes and was wearing a cute little yellow dress.

"I was wondering if you could show us the throwing knives you have. I wanted to get some for my daughter to train her." Hughes said simply

"Yeah they're over here." the boy said while silently telling the little girl to go back into the room

We walked over to the section of the store where the throwing knives were. I want all of them...maybe Hughes will let me have a collection…

"Any particular type of throwing knife you want or need?" the boy asks

"The knives, as I said, are for my daughter so I need something that she could easily conceal all over her body, lightweight, and very durable." Hughes replied

"We have this. It's the latest model. A razor fine point with a stronger grip and is made with the same metals as automail." the boy said

I was annoyed with calling him 'the boy' in my head so I looked at his name tag and saw his name was Ray. Hughes also took the blade into his hand and examined it, weighing the knife in his hand. He took in every detail of the knife, trying to find any flaw with it.

"This is nice but I think it's a bit too long for her. Anything else?" Hughes said

Ray took the knife back and looked for a different type. I was looking at the different knives in the clear display case and one specific set of throwing knives caught my eye. They had a dark rust colored grip and the blade itself looked very sword like. The sharp part of the blade curved inward while the dull part curved outward at two different points. Think of the dull end being shaped like an asymmetrical wave a five year old draws with two fine points: the actual tip of the blade and the place where the two dull sides meet. There was also a hole where the blade and handle met, most likely used as a place to insert a finger to make your grip stronger. All in all, it was one hell of a knife. Plus there was a whole set of them so that made me _really_ happy.

"Hey Hughes, can I see these?" I asked as I pointed to the knives

Hughes came over to inspect the knives from the case and then nodded to Ray. Ray then took one of them out and gave it to Hughes to inspect.

"This is one of the more unpopular models we have. It's more to do with the fact it has a more ornamental look than the rest and doesn't have the modern feel most customers are looking for. The knife itself is actually very reliable and is made with a carbon steel."

Hughes does the same thing with this knife as he did with the last. He holds it for a minute and hands it to me. My eyes light up. The knife itself is no longer than my hand, making it around six to seven inches in length. It was also very light. I am in love! I need this in my life and I need it now. I turn to Hughes and ask

"Can I have these?"

Hughes chuckles at the childish glint in my eyes and nods

"We'll take these."

Ray nods and takes the knife back from me. I pout at the loss of my new weapon.

"I'm going to head to the back to get you brand new ones that haven't been handled as much. How many do you need sir?" Ray asked before walking to the back

"How much do they cost?" Hughes asked

"They cost around three thousand Cenz for a set of five." Ray replied

"I'll take four sets then, if you don't mind." Hughes told him

My eyes become like saucers because three thousand Cenz is almost twenty five dollars and Hughes just asked for _four_ sets making that equal around a hundred dollars!

"Hughes! That's way too expensive! I just need the one set and I'll be fine!" I exclaim

"It's fine Alanis, don't worry about it. I'm not actually paying for the knives, the military is. Since I use throwing knives myself, the higher ups won't deny this purchase because I'm buying my weapon of choice. I'm basically getting them for free." Hughes said with a wide grin

"Plus nothing is expensive for my precious daughter!" Hughes cooed

"You really are too good to me Hughes." I smile at him

Ray returned with four boxes of what I assume are the knives but instead of the passive face he had before, he had a look of utter hatred. I wonder what happened to make him have that kind of a face.

"You're part of the military?" Ray asked, his voice steely

Hughes looked up sharply and replied

"I am. Is there a problem?"

"I just didn't know I was helping military scum." Ray spat

Hughes signed and gave Ray a passive look.

"Look here son, I just want to purchase the blades for my daughter and then leave. I have don't know why you have such an abhorrence towards the military but right now I am a father trying to teach his daughter how to protect herself. So please drop the hostilities."

Ray narrowed his eyes at Hughes then went to the register. He punched in some numbers and said

"Your total is twelve thousand and forty Cenz."

Hughes paid then we left the shop.

"Well that went smoothly." I muttered

"You can say that again." Hughes chuckled

"Now I'm going to take you to my favorite training area! These knives are a bit different from the ones I use but I can still show you how to use them properly. The upside is that everything you need to know for this lesson is that it's all about wrist movement." Hughes explained

I nodded and let Hughes take me to the training area. This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to learn how to use these babies properly!

***four hours later***

I feel like a total badass at the moment.

I can successfully do all five basic drills Hughes taught me. I mean, he didn't teach me any complicated techniques but I can still use the knives properly. Plus now I am able to take down an opponent up to eight feet away from me. It's only eight feet at the moment because I can't really use my shoulder to get enough force to drive the knife farther. All in all, this has been an awesome experience but I still have a long way to go.

"Alright it's time to end our little session." Hughes said

"Aww! But why? This is so much fun Hughes, why stop now?" I pouted

"Because I don't want you to stress your shoulder anymore plus, don't you have to meet that boy today at six?"

My eyes widen. I completely forgot about meeting Keegan later today! Hughes just chuckled at my reaction and said

"Don't worry you have time. It's only five now and I think I've kept you away from the family long enough. I'm guessing Warren is having a mini panic attack at this very moment."

"That's true. Knowing my brother, he might just smother me when we get home. He might not let me leave the house."

"That is a possibility" Hughes chuckled "now let's go home."

We left the training area/field and went back to the apartment. Wrath was going to kill me when I got home. It's bad enough that Gracia took him away to go shopping but Hughes kept me away most of the day as well. I'll admit learning how to defend myself will make Wrath feel a bit better but with the threat of homunculi, this won't really be any consolation.

We make it back to the apartment and before Hughes even puts the key in the lock, the door opens and Wrath pulls me into a bone crushing hug

"Wra-ah—Warren! You're crushing me!" I gasp, almost slipping on his name

"I thought something happened to you. Where were you all day?"

"I was with Hughes all day. I went to the hospital to get my shoulder checked out then I went with Hughes to learn how to defend myself. I now can officially say that I know the basics of knife self defense." I state proudly

Wrath nods and pulls me into the house.

"Anything else that happened today big sister?" Wrath asked

"Well...I met this guy named Keegan. He's new to Central and wanted me to show him where the bakery is. I told him I would and we're going to meet at six."

Wrath narrowed his eyes at me and said

"No way. You can't go. You aren't leaving this house."

"You can come too little brother. I knew you wouldn't want me to go alone with some random guy. It's not even a date so it doesn't matter if you come or not." I said

"Fine, I'm going with you." Wrath stated

Then Elicia pulled on my dress and asked

"Can I come too big sister? I missed you…"

"That's fine but you have to ask mommy alright?" I smiled at her

"Ok! Hey mommy, can I go with big sister and big brother?"

Gracia just smiled at all three of us and said

"Of course dear! Alanis make sure to be back no later than eight alright?"

"That's perfectly fine Gracia. I guess we'll have to leave now because it's almost six." I replied

Both Gracia and Hughes nodded at me. Elicia got her shoes on and Wrath was already out the door waiting for us. The walk to the Hospital wasn't all that long, maybe ten minutes. I searched for Keegan's messy red hair but I couldn't see it. Maybe he got lost again? I mean he did lose direction inside of the hospital building. I sigh and wait in front of the hospital for him. Wrath and Elicia both looking confused as to why we were at the hospital instead of the bakery.

"Big sister, why are we here?" Elicia asked

"I'm supposed to meet a friend here. Maybe you can help me find him. He has bright red hair so look for that ok?" I told her

"Okay!" she cheered

She then started looking left and right to see if she could find Keegan's head. She looked so cute while doing this and I now know the reason why Hughes always takes pictures of her.

We waited for about five minutes before I heard Keegan's accented voice yelling

"Alanis! Sorry I'm late!"

I turn my head to where I heard his voice and saw him running towards us. When he finally made it, he was huffing and puffing, resting his hands on his knees and his head was bowed.

"I'm so sorry for bein' late! I got lost...again. Hehe!" he chuckled

That's when he took notice of Wrath and Elicia.

"Ah, I see ya've brought your siblings. Well tha name's Keegan O'Neill, it's a pleasure to meet ya!"

"Your hair is so red! And your eyes are funny!" Elicia exclaimed

I giggle at her comment. Only Elicia could insult someone and do it so cutely. Keegan also laughed at her response, not bothered by Elicia's bluntness. Warren also introduced himself and Elicia followed suit. Both of them seemed to like Keegan and Keegan seemed to like the both of them.

"Well now that introductions are out of the way, how about we head to the bakery?" I state

I got cheers from everyone and started walking. It didn't take too long to get there, maybe like five minutes but it felt like forever because Keegan was happily rambling about getting to try all the different desserts. It wasn't annoying per-se but dear Truth that boy could ramble. Sometimes I couldn't understand what came out of his mouth! It just sounded like gibberish to me but whatever.

We finally made it to Aredam Bakery and when I walked in I was greeted with an angry shout

"Alanis! I thought I told you not to come in today! You're only supposed to work three days this week so what the heck are you doing back here?"

I chuckled at the manager and respond with

"I can't come as a customer Harold? You wound me."

"Is that how it is? Haha, I guess I got a little carried away. Come on in and I'll get you three your favorites. Oh and who's your friend?" The manager, Harold, chuckled

"Tha name's Keegan O'Neill! I can't wait ta try all this food!" Keegan cheered

Harold just laughed at Keegan's eagerness and went to get our desserts. I've worked here long enough that Harold knows my all time favorite dish here and he even remembers what Elicia and Wrath get. During my first two weeks working, Hughes would come by all the time to check up on me and would bring everyone when he could. He sometimes even stopped by during work hours. Oh how I love that man.

Felix comes in Harold's stead with a tray of mouthwatering food. There's a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream on the side for me, a slice of banana cream pie for Elicia, an apple dumpling for Wrath, and a piece of red velvet cake for Keegan. All four of us look at the desserts with excitement as Felix serves us.

"Thanks Felix! Did you make any of these?" I ask remembering how he didn't know how to before

"Yeah, I made the lava cake and red velvet. I hope they meet your standards." Felix replies with a small look of hope in his eyes.

"I'm sure it will be great! Thanks Felix. Elicia don't forget to say thank you to Felix. You too Warren." I say with a smile

Elicia was just about to take a bite of the pie but then stopped after my instruction

"Thank you mister!" she squealed in delight

"Yeah thanks." Warren replied

Felix had a small, sweet smile on his face. I guess he must have a soft spot for kids. Aw that's so cute! I don't think there is anything about this man I don't like. He's got the looks, charm, and love of children that I look for in a guy. Then I felt a weird pang from inside.

'_Thoughts to yourself human'_ Truth spoke then vanished leaving me with the strangest mixture of annoyance and confusion at what I just experienced

It was almost like having your parents or roommate yell at you from across the house while your door was closed: they sound kind of muffled and you think you didn't actually hear them. It was like Truth was present but not. It just felt so freaking weird. I shivered involuntarily and Keegan commented on it

"Is somethin' wrong?"

"Nah I just got a random shiver. This dress isn't the warmest so it's to be expected." I reply

"Ah well as long as ya are fine." Keegan smiled then went to take a bite of his cake

I joined in and started eating my lava cake and boy was it good. I'll let Felix knows that he doesn't need anymore practice with this one. It's amazing! It's nice, warm, rich, creamy, and just so freaking good. Most people mess up on this particular dish and I'm no exception but I think Felix has done this perfectly. Let's just add this to the list of why I think Felix is perfect. I take a few more bite before I begin my interrogation on Keegan.

"So Keegan, you said you were from the Southern part of Amestris right?" I begin

"Yup, righ' on tha border between Creta, Aerugo, and tha South." he said as he swallowed a bite of his cake

"Do you have any family? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just curious." I say and Wrath also pays attention though he keeps the facade of happily eating his food

"It's fine. My da's one a those men who wants his son ta be a 'manly man' an' usually yelled at me for bein' so girlish. My ma just stood by an' watched. I had a brother but he died. He was ma twin. It's tha reason for ma eye coloring too. What about you?" Keegan asks

"Well for the most part it was just Warren and I. Our parents died when Warren was still little. Once I was old enough, I took Warren and started traveling. Now we live with the Hughes and we have a new family." I said simply

"So we both left unfavorable places. Seems we 'ave tha' in common." He said with a tight smile

"I guess so but now things are better. A new start with people who care." I say thinking of the Hughes family

"I 'ave ta agree with ya there! Now I don't 'ave ta worry bout ma da or anythin' else. I can enjoy this amazing cake!" Keegan cheered

I was about to reply but the door to the bakery chimed and a childish voice rang out

"Father, is this the bakery you've been telling me about?"

"That's right son." an older male voice replied

My blood ran cold and I slowly looked at the two people who just entered the shop. I paled at the sight. It was Führer King Bradley and his _son_ Selim or as I know them: Wrath and Pride. Why on earth would they be here unless...no...no no no no no no _no_! Please tell me that there aren't the homunculi watching me! I'm screwed! I'm am oh so _screwed_!

That's when Bradley turned his gaze to me

"Oh my, aren't you the girl that my Lieutenant adopted?" he asks politely

I fully turn to him with a shocked expression and stutter out a measly

"Y-yes"

"I've heard quite a bit about you. You're pretty famous around headquarters." he states

"Fa-famous Sir? What do you mean?" I ask hesitantly

"Everyone knows about you from Hughes and those who have come to this bakery have had quite a bit to say about it. I came with my son to see if the rumors were true. Now what would you recommend around here?" Bradley smiled

"O-oh well...um...I guess I would recommend the chocolate lava cake Sir." I stutter

"Hey miss, is it true that what you make is the best?" _Selim_ asked me

"I wouldn't say that." I mumble too shocked at the current situation

"Humble and polite, just what I like to see in the younger generation. Would you mind if we joined you. You see it's not often I can escape and enjoy a few moments of freedom, being Führer and all." Bradley asks with a smile

"I-I don't mind sir." I manage to say.

Damn. I'm really screwed here. I look to Wrath and see him with a 'shocked' expression but I can see the burning hatred for Bradley in his eyes. Right now Wrath looks like, well..._Wrath_. I haven't seen him like this since Lab Five but this is more subdued. Then I notice Keegan had almost the same look on his face as Wrath; a false shocked expression with an underlying hatred for the man now taking a seat next to me.

"Thank you for letting me enjoy your company and have some quality time with my son, Alanis was it?" Bradley said

"Yes sir and it's no trouble." I say, forcing a small smile on my face

"Now what brought you to Central if I may ask." Bradley questioned

"I've been traveling around Amestris with my brother ever since our parents died sir."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's alright since I don't really remember them." I respond

"Still to lose your parents so young must've been hard, especially when you had to look after your brother. Now I've also heard that you were injured recently and by the bandage on your shoulder, I'm guessing it's true." Bradley

"Miss you were hurt?" Selim questioned as well

I nod and say

"It was a few days ago."

"Tell me, was it the same night Laboratory Five was destroyed?"

"It was sir and my attackers haven't been caught yet."

"That's quite the coincidence. You also said attackers, there were more than one?" Bradley questioned

"Yes sir." I say

"Do you recall what they looked like? Maybe I could help in the search." Bradley said, his whole attention turning to me

"I don't really remember what they looked like, it was too dark to really see anything."

"Surely there was something about them that caught your eye. It really can't be a coincidence that you were attacked the same night an abandoned military lab was destroyed." Bradley countered, backing me into a figurative corner

"As I said, the alley was too dark to make out anything specific. I agree that this couldn't be a coincidence but if the people who attacked me are the same ones who destroyed Lab Five, why would they let me live? I was a witness and a liability." I countered

"That's very true. Hopefully we can apprehend those at fault and put them to justice." Bradley said

"I would like for that as well sir." I said

"I've noticed you have a very sharp mind Alanis."

"Thank you sir." I said, confused as to where he was going with this

"How old are you?" Bradley questioned

"I'm seventeen sir."

"Ah, I see. Well Alanis, we could use more people like you in our ranks. You're almost old enough to enlist and since you're already associated with the military getting you in a year earlier wouldn't be too much of a hastle."

"I don't think I would be cut out for the military sir." I said warily, not liking the direction this conversation was headed

"Nonsense, you would do great. You also wouldn't have to see any real bloodshed if you're not ready. In fact, if you enlist, I'll make you my personal secretary."

_Shit_! How am I supposed to get out of this? It's clear now who has been watching Wrath and I but what can I do? Damn him! I can't get out of this without letting him grow more suspicious of Wrath and I.

"You're speechless!" Bradley exclaims "I can understand why though. It's not everyday the ruler of this fine country asks you to work alongside him!"

"Hey miss!" Selim exclaims

"Huh-uh...yes?" I say as I get out of my shocked stupor

"If you work for Father, does that mean you and I can play together? Would you make me desserts like the ones here?" Selim asks 'cutely'

"Now now Selim, I just dropped a major decision on her." Bradley chides then continues, turning to me

"You don't have to decide at this moment but please think about this offer. I hope you decide to join us. Let's go now Selim it's getting late. It was nice meeting you Alanis, I hope to get an answer from you soon." Bradley smiled

Selim and Bradley got up and left, leaving the whole table shocked, confused, and on edge. After a few moments of silence Keegan spoke with a steely tone

"So Alanis, wha' are ya plans? Do ya wan' ta join 'em?"

"I...have no idea…"

"I wouldn't. I don' trust those military dogs. There's somethin' fishy 'bout them." he said with an undertone of hatred

"I know what you mean…" I trailed off

It was silent for the next five minutes before I got up and said

"It's time for us to go. It's been..._eventful_ Keegan. Good night. Come on Warren, Elicia."

"Good night" Keegan replied

The three of us walked home in silence and I couldn't help but jump at every shadow I came across. Knowing that Pride was watching me along with Bradley/Wrath, I couldn't help but be jumpy. Wrath was also on edge and Elicia could sense something was off but kept quiet. Bless her soul.

When we got home Hughes asked what had happened and I told him. I told him about how the Führer showed up and offered me a job as his personal secretary. Hughes didn't say anything after I told him but I knew he was just as shocked as I was. I felt like I couldn't function the rest of the night. Everything just felt off and the fact that Truth had barely made himself known also put me on edge. He was planning something and it wasn't good. What's even worse was that the sensation of being watched increased ten fold. I felt so exposed and open.

I was on autopilot for the rest of the night and Wrath didn't even question it. He knew I was on edge and knew better than to agitate me more while I was in this state. I couldn't thinks straight. My mind was a mess and I just felt like a scared child who knew the boogey man was waiting for me right under my bed. The last coherent thought that passed through my mind before I fell into a fitful sleep was

_I am so screwed._

***takes a bow***

**Thank you all for putting up with me, reviewing, favoriting, following, etc. You are the best! I love you all!**

**Also a shout out to the people whose OC's were featured in this chapter!**

**reven228 for the character Felix Luce**

**SS for the character Keegan O'Neill**

**Natalya Karpusi for the character Raymond 'Ray' Casting**

**Thank you for giving me awesome OC's to add in this story and for those who have submitted OC's but haven't seen them in a chapter yet, don't worry you will see them soon. All OC's submitted to me will be used! And if you want to submit one still you can. I will leave the guidelines****up for you so you have an idea of what to submit but do know there will be some changes to it now that I have chosen the main OC I will use. Now on to my normal barrage of questions!**

**How many of you saw that ending coming? Seriously did you think I would do that? What do you think Alanis should do now that Bradley and Selim have showed up and want her in the military? What do you think of Keegan? What could Truth's silence mean for what is to come? Will Alanis be able to save Hughes? Do you want Alanis to be paired up with someone in particular so far? What do you think will happen in the next chapter? What do you want to see in future chapters? Will the questions ever ****_end_****?**

**The world may never know...**

**But thank you all for sticking around and reading this story! Again it means so much to me and reading all of your reviews and PM's really got me out of my depressed funk I was in. So thanks again to all who Favorited, Followed, Reviewed, and PM'd me. **

**As always please review and comment! They are food for my soul!**

**Thanks a Bunch**

**-TheAlleyCat**


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